Hot Blooded
by Jabey
Summary: Eric is a single dad with an eight-year-old daughter who just moved to Bon Temps. Sookie is a college student who is called in as a last-minute babysitter. Sparks fly. AH/AU/OOC
1. Chapter 1

**SPV**

Sookie was running late. Her mind was frantic as she rushed around her room, throwing things into her purse and desperately trying to find her shoes. She threw her long blonde hair impatiently over her shoulder as she dug through her closet, looking for her pink converse low tops. Even though it was getting slightly cool, she had found a clean pair of khaki shorts and a pink v-neck top. Now she just needed the shoes.

"Aha!" She found them, buried under the mounds of clothes she had piled there earlier in the week. She desperately needed to do laundry, and had hid it in the back of the closet so Gran wouldn't see it.

It made her feel like a high school student to be so sneaky, but she knew if Gran saw the piles she would do all the laundry, and Sookie didn't want her hauling the heavy clothes around. Gran just wasn't as young as she used to be, and was always pushing her limits. Sookie felt bad enough living with her grandmother when she was twenty-four years old, but she figured it would be a mutually beneficial relationship. Sookie was saving money for college classes by living at home, and she was able, most of the time, to be a big help to Gran around the house. Lately, however, she just hadn't had time to be of much benefit. She had doubled up on classes this quarter, in addition to her part-time waitressing job at Merlotte's bar, and had really slacked off at home.

_I'll do tomorrow_, Sookie promised herself, as she scrambled into the shoes and out her bedroom door. She had a rare two days off, and was pretty upset about the way she was being forced to spend her Saturday night.

She stopped in the kitchen to give her grandmother a kiss and grab a cookie out of the jar. "I'm off to babysit, Gran."

"Good luck sweetheart," Gran smiled at her. "Make sure and tell me all about Mr. Northman. I confess to a big curiosity about our new Yankee neighbor. I've heard tell he's quite a handsome man."

"Gran!" Sookie shook her head. "I didn't know you were in the market for a new boyfriend." She heard Gran chuckling at her teasing as she slipped out the back door and hopped in her old yellow Nova.

Saying her usual short prayer that her car would start, Sookie turned the key, cranked up the radio, and pulled out of the driveway.

It was a short ride down Hummingbird Lane to old Southfork Road, and then just down the road to the old Patterson house. _Northman house now_, Sookie corrected herself. All of Bon Temps was gossiping about their newest addition. Evidently, Mr. Northman was a widower with a young daughter, and nothing set off Southern sympathy more than a man raising a child alone.

Sookie wasn't too happy about being called to babysit for the town's newest residents. Nothing against them, but she was too old to babysit. She hadn't done it since high school, was entirely too busy to fit it in to her schedule. Evidently, someone in Gran's church had mentioned that Mr. Northman needed a babysitter desperately for Thursday night, and Gran had volunteered her. Gran had asked, and with the guilt she was feeling at not helping out lately, she just couldn't say no.

_Maybe the kid will go to sleep early, and I can get some studying done._ Sookie only had three finals to go, and then she was out for summer break. She had considered taking classes through the summer, as she had the past two years, but she knew she needed a break. It wasn't good to get burnt out with only three quarters to go.

_Three quarters, and then I'll be done!_ She told herself, excited at the prospect of finally becoming a teacher. There was even a spot opening at the elementary school next fall, with Mrs. Bailey retiring. Sookie thought she had a good chance at it, since everyone knew how hard she had worked and what a great teacher she would make. She had even promised her boss, Sam, that she would continue to work at Merlotte's on weekends and in the summers after she got her teaching job. _The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades_, she thought with a smile, as she pulled into the Patterson – no, Northman place.

The house was typical new Southern. It was a two-story farmhouse, painted a sunny yellow – a recent change, and vast improvement from the Patterson's muddy brown – and had a white wraparound porch. There was even a new swing hanging from chains a little to the left of the front door. White shutters and a front bay window completed the cheerful look.

All it needs is a few flowers and a yellow lab running around the yard Sookie thought happily, as she bounded up the front porch and rang the doorbell. Briefly, it occurred to her that she knew nothing about this new family. Not the daughter's name, or age, or anything. She shrugged briefly. Whatever it was, she could handle it. Sookie put a smile on her face as she heard feet pounding toward her, and the door began to open.

The smile quickly died as the door opened to reveal a slim waist, a broad, muscled chest, shoulders that filled the doorway, and up to the most beautiful face Sookie had ever seen. She felt her mouth drop open and her eyes widened.

"Hi," she heard him say, in a deep, smooth voice. His smile was devastating. "I'm Eric Northman."

**EPV**

_I love my daughter. I love my daughter. I love my daughter. _Eric continued the mantra in his head, hoping that it would help control the anger and frustration he was feeling at his eight-year-old terror.

"Hadley Elizabeth Northman, you get your rear-end down here right now!" He bellowed, and continued frantically trying to clean the kitchen. He was no housekeeper, he knew that. Hell, no one expected a single father to be _good_ at anything. But he had his pride, and wanted to make sure his house was at least presentable to the babysitter. God knows, he'd already discovered just how quickly the grapevine in Bon Temps worked, and the last thing he wanted was some teenage babysitter spreading the word that the new neighbor was a slob and unfit father.

Eric finished shoving dishes in the dishwasher and started quickly wiping down the counters. He still had to get dressed, and it was close to five o'clock already. He had to be in Shreveport for a business meeting by six, and would never make it at this rate.

Eric turned to throw the dishcloth in the sink, and caught site of the family room through the wide doorway.

It looked like a Barbie doll massacre: bodies were strewn everywhere, in various stages of undress, with miniature vehicles, animals and furniture scattered amongst them. He had told Hadley to clean this up hours ago, while he was finishing up his proposal. Instead of cleaning, the mess had become exponentially worse.

"HADLEY!"

"Right here, Dad," a little face poked out from around the doorway.

Eric's anger dulled, as it did every time he saw his daughter's face. Everyone said she looked just like him, but he only ever saw his wife's eyes, those deep forest green eyes that dominated Hadley's face, as they had dominated Felicia's. It took his breath away. The spark of mischief in those eyes, Eric was willing to concede, she had inherited from her father.

"Hadley, you need to clean up the Barbie explosion in the family room. Right now."

"Daadd," Hadley whined. "I can't clean it up now. I just got it all arranged!"

Eric's mouth gaped open. "Arranged? Into what, total chaos?"

Hadley's signature giggle bubbled out of her as she shook her head. "No, Daddy. It's a movie set in Hollywood, and they're just getting ready to shoot the scene when the volcano erupts and takes out the town. I can't move anything yet, it will totally ruin everything!"

She had imagination, he'd give her that. Unfortunately, her creativity often resulted in destruction. "Well, I'm the director, and I say you can shoot the scene tomorrow. Clean it up." He gave her the famous Northman steel-blue gaze, accompanied by a raised eyebrow. "Now."

His daughter sighed heavily before muttering, "Yes sir," and trudging into the family room.

Eric waited long enough to make sure she was really cleaning before rushing upstairs to check the condition of the bedrooms. Amazingly, Hadley's room was pretty clean. The Universal Studio tour evidently only included the family room.

Satisfied that the whole town wouldn't be gossiping about his dirty house, Eric hurried into his bedroom to get dressed. This meeting tonight was essential if he wanted to get his new nightclub approved for zoning. Shreveport was no metropolis, but it was in desperate need of entertainment, and had the population to support it, unlike Bon Temps. Whether the city council would approve him to build the nightclub was another story. He would have to sell it, and turn on the charm. Something he was, luckily, very good at.

Eric pulled on black dress pants over his boxer briefs, and threw on a white fitted undershirt. He found his lucky tie, but not the blue dress shirt his best friend, Pam, said made his eyes "pop".

Groaning, he grabbed his socks and shoes, and hurried downstairs. The shirt was probably in the laundry room, with the other dry cleaning he had left hanging there.

Eric had just enough time to glimpse the family room, and its relative absence of Barbie detritus, before the doorbell rang. He did an about face and hurried to answer the door.

The ladies at the church had assured him that this new babysitter was qualified and responsible. He would normally take more time in researching a babysitter's qualification before placing his daughter in their care, but Eric was, admittedly, desperate. With a silent prayer that this teenager was appropriate and without facial piercings, he opened the door.

_Holy Mary mother of God_, the prayer changed as he took in the sight of the buxom blonde in his doorway. This was no pimply pierced teenager. She had to be in her early twenties. His eyes roamed over her long, tanned legs, flared hips that dipped into a small waist, and then belled out again into an abundant chest. Eric forced his eyes higher to her sweet face, blue eyes, and honey blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail. Of all things, it crossed his mind that they shared the same hair color, before he realized he was staring.

"Hi," he smiled, turning on his charm. "I'm Eric Northman."

There was a definite pause. Her mouth was open, and her stare made Eric start to wonder if something was wrong. Was his fly down or something? He wanted to glance down to check, but couldn't seem to break eye contact with the woman.

Suddenly, she seemed to snap to attention. "Hi Mr. Northman," her accent was subtle and sweet. "I'm Sookie Stackhouse." She placed her small hand in his and shook firmly.

Eric couldn't help flirting, as he kept her hand in his and wrapped his other hand around it. He pulled her into the house, toward him, and leaned down close to her ear. "Call me Eric. Please."

She seemed small; maybe only five and half feet tall to his six and a half. But she was curvaceous. She had a figure that reminded him of Marilyn Monroe, rounded in all the right places. He caught a whiff of some sweet, fruity scent as she tiled her head up to look at him, their lips mere inches apart.

_Oh, _he smiled in delight. _This is going to be fun._


	2. Chapter 2

A/N - Thank you for tuning in, and thank you for your support of my first story. I understand why so many authors enjoy feedback/reviews. It is truly intoxicating. I hope you enjoy, and continue to read.

Thanks Courtney for beta'ing this for me. : )

I forgot to mention before that these characters aren't mine. They belong to Charlaine Harris. I just wish she would write faster.

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**SPOV**

_Jesus Christ Shepherd of Judea!_ Sookie could feel his breath on her lips, they were that close. He smelled wonderful, like some amazing combination of soap and fabric softener and musky man, and she just wanted to lean and press into him, rub herself all over him. She felt like she had been glamoured by some beautiful godly Viking. His ice-blue eyes were locked on hers, and her hands itched to run through his short blonde hair.

"DAD!"

The young voice broke the spell, and Sookie jumped back from Eric, pulling her hand from his. Her gaze dropped to the floor as she felt her cheeks redden in embarrassment. Sookie had just enough time to register Eric's large bare feet before he was attacked by a small blonde body.

Sookie looked up to see Eric hoisting a young girl into his arms. The little girl looked just like her father. She had the same blonde hair and charming grin, but her eyes were emerald green. Sookie took one look at the sparkle in those eyes and knew she was in for a long night.

"Hi," the little imp grinned at Sookie from her father's arms. "I'm Hadley."

She couldn't help but smile back. Ornery kids were her specialty. "Hi Hadley. I'm Sookie. It's nice to meet you."

Eric seemed to register that they were standing in the open doorway, and shifted to close the front door and usher Sookie into the house. "Come on in, Sookie, and make yourself comfortable." He walked down the hallway into the kitchen, gesturing for her to follow him. "Please excuse the mess."

Sookie was actually surprised there wasn't more of a mess. Well, there were Barbies scattered all over the family room, but for a house run by a single dad, the Northman residence was surprisingly tidy.

After a quick look around, Sookie's eyes followed the large man in front of her. He was so big and overwhelming. He had long legs, and long arms, and sleek muscles everywhere she could see. He really could model as the Viking she had envisioned earlier. He was gorgeous. Her eyes roamed over the snug white t-shirt that clung to the muscles in his broad back, then dipped to the dress pants hugging his perfect ass….

"Sorry I'm not quite ready yet," he turned, and Sookie quickly raised her eyes to his face. She felt her cheeks redden again as she knew from his smirk he had caught her staring.

"I have a meeting in Shreveport," Sookie forced herself to pay attention, "and shouldn't be gone for too long tonight."

Hadley scrambled out of his arms and ran to grab Sookie's hand. "I'm eight." She smiled at Sookie. "And I love playing Barbies. Do you like Barbies?"

Sookie crouched down to Hadley's level and smiled. She already liked this spunky girl. "Well, it's been a while since I've played Barbies, but I always did enjoy it. I'd love to play."

"Awesome!" Hadley yelled. "I've got the house and the bus and the corvette – just like Daddy's – and I've got the horse and the puppies that pee…"

"Hadley," Eric's voice was loving, but firm. "Hang on a second, and let Sookie and me talk for a minute. You'll have her all evening, but she's only mine for a few minutes."

Sookie's breath hitched. What was the matter with her? He was trying to give her information on his _child_ and all she could think about was him saying she was his. She was practically melting into a puddle at his feet. _I have got to get a life_, she chided herself.

"So, I've written down where I'm going to be and some emergency numbers here on the fridge," her eyes gravitated to his lips as he began to relay information. They were perfect. Not thin, not thick – just right for kissing and being kissed. She began to imagine what that would be like…touching her lips to his, sucking on his bottom lip before sliding her tongue…

"Ah-humn,"

Sookie's eyes snapped to Eric's eyes as he cleared his throat. She could feel the blush spread up her neck and over her face. My God, what was wrong with her? She was mortified to be seen so blatantly ogling him. A smile spread over Eric's luscious lips as he caught sight of the blush, and Sookie had the feeling he knew exactly what she had been thinking.

"So, if you _need_ me…"

Sookie's eyes narrowed. Did he just emphasize the word "need"? Was he playing with her?

"…my cell number is on the pad by the phone."

"Dad! Are you done now?" Hadley jumped up and down in her excitement.

Eric rolled his eyes dramatically, making his little girl giggle. "Yes, Princess Hadley. You can monopolize Sookie now." His blue gaze settled on hers. "As long as I can have her back later." And then he winked.

Sookie felt her knees go alarmingly weak. _Was he flirting with her?_

**EPOV**

Eric was having too much fun. Just a little suggestion and the woman blushed like a virgin. It was way too easy to get a rise out of her – he just had to make sure it didn't get a rise out of him too. The looks she was giving him were making it hard to restrain himself. In fact, the only thing stopping him was his daughter in the room.

He grabbed his shoes and socks, and turned to go to the laundry room, practically feeling Sookie's eyes on his ass as he walked away. That girl was sex on a stick, and she didn't seem to know it. Those breasts, those hips, those legs…and the way her nipples hardened as she stared at his lips. Thank God he was used to concealing his emotions. His dick, however, was another story. Someone blessed him tonight when he put on boxer briefs instead of going commando, as usual. At least he had some constraint on his semi-erection, and didn't tent his pants.

_Down boy_, he thought, as he located his blue dress shirt, slid into it, and finished dressing. Eric tried concentrating on what he planned to say tonight to convince the fine people of Shreveport that they needed his bar.

He could hear Hadley's little voice talking enthusiastically with her new babysitter. Despite his distracting attraction to Sookie, the father in him recognized her interaction with his child. He figured she would be a good protector and that his daughter was in excellent hands.

_Now, if I could only be in those hands as well_, he chuckled to himself. Damn, it had been too long since he'd been laid.

Eric strolled back into the kitchen, grabbed his portfolio and suit jacket off the island, and turned to face his girls. Hadley was perched on top of the island countertop, with Sookie standing next to her. "I've got to run," he smiled at them, and then leveled his gaze at his mischievous daughter. "Hadley," he said in best parental voice, "behave yourself."

She grinned at him, "Yes, Daddy." He leaned down to kiss her cheek, then turned and grazed his lips over Sookie's cheek as well. "You too, Sookie," he whispered in her ear. "Be a good girl."

Eric straightened and pulled away before Sookie's scent could envelop him. His pulse raced at the shock and desire he saw in her eyes.

He turned and walked out the door to the garage, adjusting the hard on in his pants. He slid into his red corvette. Eric felt his lips curl into a smile. "Damn, this is going to be a good night." He gunned the engine, and started on his way to Shreveport.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N - Thank you for your continued support. Any reviews, contructive or praising, are much valued. : )

These characters are the property of Charlaine Harris.

* * *

**SPOV**

Sookie struggled to keep her eyes open. The family room couch was just too comfortable, but she couldn't bring herself to move. There was nothing on television around eleven o'clock on a Saturday night except for infomercials or generic slasher movies. Although she normally enjoyed a good horror movie – especially ones about vampires or werewolves – the one playing now was about some demonic toy clowns, and just didn't hold her interest.

Sookie was exhausted. Hadley had been a handful. Fun, challenging, and really enjoyable, but a handful nonetheless. Still, she had gone to bed pleasantly enough, and Sookie had time to clean up the mess from their snack and Barbie playtime. She had expected Eric home at little earlier, and was ready to go home and go to bed.

She still couldn't get over her reaction to him. Sure, he was cute. Okay, he was a drop dead gorgeous and sexy and arousing, but that didn't mean she had to act like a total drooling idiot around him. Honestly, the guy was probably used to that kind of attention, and flirted as a natural reaction. It couldn't have meant anything. Especially the kiss on the cheek.

_He probably does that to all the babysitters,_ she thought sulkily, although something in her rebelled at the idea. She didn't want to picture him kissing anyone else. She wanted him for herself. And Sookie was not a woman who liked to share.

She couldn't help the automatic thought that followed. _Too bad Bill didn't figure that one out._ Her breath puffed out in exasperation. She swore she was done thinking about Bill Compton. So he took her virginity and then cheated on her. It was practically a rite of passage to go through something like that. All girls did, and then bitched about their broken hearts afterward. But Sookie had always been cautious with boys, after a bad experience as a child, and she hadn't even dated anyone seriously until Bill. She was twenty one when she lost her virginity, which she knew was long after most of the girls she had gone to school with. Bill had taken the time to earn her trust and then crushed her. It was just upsetting that she couldn't chalk the relationship up to stupid young immaturity. She had been an adult when she met him, no matter how inexperienced, and should have seen the signs earlier.

For the past year, she had reverted back to that cautious nature, keeping men at a distance, including Bill, who was always trying to lure her back in. Unfortunately, her libido just didn't understand the reasoning behind her celibacy. She was young. And healthy. And horny. And her hand just wasn't cutting it anymore.

Sookie settled further into the couch. It was deep, big, and long – probably picked out just for those reasons. She imagined Eric, in all his height and size, had trouble finding comfortable couches. She leaned her head back on the couch and closed her eyes, picturing the man himself and his Nordic blonde hair and blue eyes. Those sharp cheekbones and kissable lips…

Before she knew it, Sookie had fallen asleep.

**EPOV**

God, Eric was tired. Never had he imagined he would be out this late, or that the good 'ol boys on the city council would want to go "check out the competition" after approving his proposal. Okay, so Eric felt like celebrating. But going to an out-of-the-way second-rate strip club on the parish border really wasn't his idea of a celebration. It was like a page out of _Porky's_. He managed to evade most of the drinks the "boys" threw his way, as well as the tits shoved repeatedly in his face. If he had had to endure one more lap dance from a buck-toothed skinny stripper, he was going to scream.

Besides, the tits in his face weren't supple and sweet. The blonde hair whipping around was bottled, not natural golden honey. And the lips trying to kiss up and down his neck weren't _hers_. Eric sighed as he turned the car onto Southfork Road. He admitted it to himself. He wasn't just indiscriminately horny. The so-called "strip club" tonight showed him that. The only pair of breasts he wanted in his face were Sookie's. He couldn't get her out of his mind all night.

Eric couldn't understand it. It wasn't like they had spent any time together, yet he kept recalling the hungry look on her face as she stared at his mouth. And the beautiful blush that spread over her cheeks when she was caught looking. He just knew she was sweet and wholesome. And he somehow recognized she had an innate sensuality about her. He could tell in the way she licked her lips, and rolled her hips when she walked. And, hell, let's face it; Eric Northman was pretty good at identifying sexual women. He had experience with that sort of thing.

The corvette made barely a purr as he pulled it into the garage and shut off the engine. Hadley should be in bed by now, and he didn't want to wake her. He was sure they had fun – he just hoped she wasn't too much of a handful for Sookie. _After all_, he grinned to himself, _I want her to come back._

Eric quietly opened the garage door, stopping in the laundry room to remove his clothes. They reeked of cigarette smoke. He grabbed a fresh t-shirt and a pair of jeans from the basket on the dryer, going commando since there wasn't a clean pair of underwear. He couldn't do anything about the smell in his hair, but hoped it would be toned down now that he had changed.

He opened the laundry room door and padded silently through the kitchen into the family room, where he could see the light of the television. Sookie was sitting on the couch, with her head tilted back and mouth slightly open. She was asleep.

He snuck closer, gazing down at her youthful face. She was beautiful. Even with her eyes closed – and Eric was a sucker for beautiful eyes – she had slightly rounded cheeks and full, pink lips. His eyes followed down the column of her neck to her collar bones, revealed through the dip in her shirt. Eric knew that a well-placed lick and suck of the collar bones would drive a woman wild. He wondered what drove Sookie wild. His gaze slid lower, to the line of cleavage revealed between her breasts. God, her breasts were magnificent. He knew without even seeing them uncovered that they would be bouncy and succulent, and everything breasts were meant to be. Definitely more than a handful, even for his large hands, and definitely grope-worthy.

Eric shifted his hips, trying to relieve the pressure of his growing erection. Fuck, he was just standing here ogling the poor girl while she was sleeping, but he couldn't help it. She was breathtaking. His hands itched to plunge through her hair, to drag his lips across hers and wet them with his tongue, to grab her and rub her up against him.

Eric turned and strode into the kitchen. He couldn't wake her up until he had calmed down. What the hell would he say? "Hi Sookie! Thanks for watching over my child. Please excuse my enormous erection – I was watching you while you slept and thinking of fucking you." Yeah, great impression to leave on the babysitter.

He opened the fridge and took out a bottle of beer. He held it to the side of his face for a second, trying to cool down, and then popped the top and took two big gulps. After running through the multiplication tables a few times, he felt settled enough to return to the family room. He plopped down on the other end of the couch, thinking that if he woke her while standing above her, it might be a little intimidating. He was pretty tall. And he really shouldn't see that view again. But he made no move to wake Sookie. If he woke her up, she would leave, and he wanted just a few more minutes to be around her, as pathetic as that sounded.

Eric glanced at the television screen, startled to see some crazy clown doll with a machete hacking at some poor screaming woman. _She liked these kind of movies?_ Thinking the b-horror movie might get his mind off a certain buxom temptation at the other end of the couch, he decided to watch for a few minutes. He set the beer down on the side table, and decided he would wake Sookie when he had control over himself.

**SPOV**

Her arms and legs were freezing. She shivered, vaguely wondering where her blankets were, and why she fallen asleep sitting up in bed. She could feel warmth nearby, and something hard nestled into her lap, wrapping around her hips and nuzzling her stomach. It felt so cozy and peaceful, and she didn't want to move. But her arms and legs were still cold.

Eyes still closed, Sookie reached out a hand, feeling around her for her blankets. Nothing felt familiar, especially not the soft hair in her lap. Tina, her cat, had short, coarse hair, not this longer, silky stuff. A deep groan rumbled next to her belly as she ran her fingers through the hair.

That was not her cat.

Sookie's eyes popped open, and she looked down to see a blonde head cradled in her lap, facing away from her, and long muscular arms wrapped around her hips. A lean body was stretched out the length of the couch, belly down with knees bent and feet hanging over the arm. It was a long couch, and evidently it did fit the owner.

Her heart started to race when she realized she had fallen asleep, and apparently so had Eric. Face down. In her lap. She jerked her hands up to her mouth when she realized she had been stroking his hair. His groan had woken her up. Even now, her hands itched to return to the soft silkiness, and continue stroking. Her eyes wandered down his body, over the white cotton t-shirt pulled tight across his shoulders, down the trim waist, to his butt, lovingly encased in his jeans. Holy cow, he had a fine ass. Not that she hadn't noticed that earlier, but nothing could show off a great butt like a pair of Levi's. And that butt was calling to her, begging her to touch it, squeeze it. Her hand began to lower, inching toward him, when he moved, pulling a knee up and turning his face toward her, in her lap.

She could feel the warmth of his breath _right there!_ She bit her lip, fighting not to moan, as she imagined his lips caressing that spot. His arms tightened on her waist, and she realized she was practically panting.

She froze as she watched Eric's eyes slowly blink open, and slide up her body to meet her eyes. His lips tilted up into a sleepy smile, and Sookie felt herself grow wet.

"Hmmm," he rubbed his face in her lap. "Don't stop."

"What?" her eyes grew wide. What was he talking about?

"You were stroking my hair. It felt good. Don't stop." His voice was deeper, more sensual and commanding.

"Mr. Northman," she began, "Eric, I can't…"

"Please?" His eyes, oh my God his eyes were heavy and sensual and so focused on her at that moment that she couldn't say no. After all, he asked nicely.

Sookie's fingers plunged back into the silky strands, and his moan of pleasure vibrated to her center. She stroked his head like she like she had dreamed of doing, when she had imagined his head between her legs and his tongue on her.

Eric turned his face into her lap, his nose settling just at her pubic bone, and she could feel his steamy breath blowing through her shorts to where she wanted his tongue.

"God, that feels so good," he rumbled, and she saw his butt clench as his hips flexed into the couch. Sookie tugged his hair a little, and was rewarded with a louder groan. His arms tightened around her hips before unwrapping. She felt the heat of his hands run up her sides as he turned his head to face her again.

Their gazes locked as she continued to run her fingers through his hair and his hands roamed over her ribs. She felt him untuck her shirt, and then those wonderful, hot hands were touching her skin, wrapping around to lightly squeeze her back, arching her toward him, before sliding up her ribs to brush the sides of her breasts through her bra.

Sookie was on fire. The ghost of his breath, the lust in his eye, and the warmth of his hands was making her short of breath. She had enough presence of mind to speak when Eric raised up on one elbow to reach around her back and, _so easily!_, undo her bra.

"What are you trying to do?" she panted, never breaking eye contact.

The blue of his eyes seemed to deepen and grow more intense as his hands pushed her bra up and out of the way, and finally cupped her breasts, searing her with their heat.

"Seduce you," was his reply, as he brushed his thumbs across her nipples.

Her breath caught, and pleasure shot down to her center. She couldn't stop her back from arching and her hips from lifting toward him. His hands rubbed and lifted her breasts, so reverently, as his thumbs continued their brushing.

"It's working," she managed to moan, finally breaking their gaze when her head rolled back from the pleasure.

**EPOV**

Eric hadn't meant to fall asleep. And he sure as hell hadn't meant to wake up stretched out on the couch with his head in her lap, but by God, it felt like he had waited an eternity to touch Sookie's breasts, and he wasn't going to stop now. They felt perfect, just as he had imagined. She was so responsive, arching into him and moaning softly as her head fell back onto the cushion behind her. Eric freed one hand to push her shirt out of the way, exposing those beautiful breasts to his gaze. He grew harder as his eyes caressed her, noting the dusty rose color of her large areolas. Eric couldn't stop himself from leaning forward and touching his tongue to one plump, juicy nipple. He heard Sookie gasp, and he looked up to see her looking down at him with desire. Fuck, he loved beautiful eyes. And the fact that hers were about to watch him suck on her made him feel like exploding right there. He reached out his tongue again to lightly, then more heavily lap at her nipple before taking it into his mouth to suck on it. He felt her hips lift and grind into his side as he continued sucking and licking, then giving equal attention to the other succulent breast. It got him so hot to know that she was watching him, watching what he was doing to her. Her hands continued to stroke his hair, tugging and cradling him to her.

He leaned up, mouth still wetly on her chest, as he reached his hand down to brush between her legs. _Holy fuck, is she wet!_ Even through her thin shorts, he could feel the heat and dampness of her arousal, as she pushed against his hand, searching for more friction.

Eric gave her nipple one last kiss, then sat up and pulled off his shirt. He had no sooner tossed it away, than his hands plunged into her hair, dislodging her loose hair tie, and sending her golden locks tumbling around her shoulders. Eric's hands framed Sookie's face as he pulled her toward him, finally touching his lips to hers.

Trying to contain his urgency, he forced his mouth to be soft, brushing across hers in a whisper of a caress, pausing to kiss her top and then bottom lip. Their breath mingled, and he rubbed his forehead against hers, rained light kisses across her cheeks before trailing back to her lips. He reveled in the sensuality of their first kiss, touching and prolonging as best he could. Eric felt Sookie's hands touch his sides – hesitant on his bare skin, then growing bolder as they wrapped around his back to grip his shoulder blades. He felt her fingers tighten as the tip of her tongue darted out to taste his lips.

They exploded. Eric's tongue plunged into Sookie's mouth as he gripped her hair and tilted her head, deepening the kiss. Sookie scrambled into his lap, wrapping her legs around to straddle him, and rub herself against the huge bulge in his jeans. Eric moved to rest his back against the arm of the couch, and raised his knees to settle Sookie more fully against him. She was moaning and mewling as she attacked his mouth, and he reached his hands down to grasp her shirt and bra and sweep them off of her in one swift movement.

They both groaned at the feel of skin against skin as they pressed their chests together. Eric managed to insert his hands between them, back onto those lovely breasts, and proceeded to drive Sookie wild. Her hips ground against his, mimicking what they wanted to do as she rubbed herself against his erection.

_Fuck!_ Eric felt like he was going to lose it if she kept rubbing against him like that. He broke their kiss to lower his head and pop a pert nipple into his mouth. Sookie gasped and her hands went back to his head to thread through his hair and clutch him to her. She continued her rhythmic riding against him, and Eric was beginning to suspect she was close to orgasm. Hell, at this rate, he wouldn't be far behind her.

_Dear God, if that's all it takes, this girl is sexual napalm!_ His lust-infused mind moaned, as he decided to let her release happen as it may, and continued his actions.

Eric was surprised when Sookie's fingers tugged his head and pulled his mouth back to hers. Their kiss was frantic as Eric's fingers plucked and rolled her nipples and Sookie rode him harder. Her whimpers turned to kiss-muffled moans as she came against him, her hips bucking as she rode out her orgasm, triggering his as well. Sweet Jesus, he couldn't remember the last time he came in his pants, but this woman lit him on fire.

They started to slow, the kisses becoming less frantic, Eric's hands leisurely caressing her breasts. They finally stopped, and rested against each other, forehead to forehead, still breathing heavily.

Eric moved his hands up to her cheeks and pressed slow kisses to her eyes and cheeks and lips. When he felt his heart finally slow to a more normal pace, he pulled back to look into Sookie's eyes. Rational thought was starting to intrude, and Eric was worried about what she might be feeling.

Even thought they hadn't completed it, she had the tousled look of a woman who had just been fucked, with bee-stung lips and a rosy glow. Her eyes were still heavy lidded, and he held his breath as she looked at him.

Sookie smiled.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N - Thank you again for tuning in. Any critique (or praise!) is sincerely appreciated. This is a short one, so I'll post another soon.

These characters are the brilliance of Charlaine Harris. I'm just (im)patiently waiting for the next installment.

* * *

**SPOV**

Sookie knew she should feel ashamed. Knew she should be mortified by what had just occurred, and her face should be red as a brick. She was the babysitter, for God's sake, and had just met him that day. How much more cliché could she get?

But, she was so relaxed, so blissed out, she just couldn't make herself worry. Her release had been so huge that her whole body felt like a wet noodle. She couldn't stop the grin that spread across her face as Eric looked at her with concern.

No matter what happened, no matter how embarrassing the rest of the night would be, it was worth it. _Sweet Jesus, it was worth it!_

Something in her expression must have satisfied Eric's concern, because he pressed one more soft kiss to her lips and grinned back at her.

Even in her satisfied state, Sookie felt a stirring in her when she saw that grin. She was such a sucker for naughty-boy grins, and Eric had the best she had ever seen.

Suddenly, the click of a door opening upstairs startled them from their reverie.

_Hadley! _Sookie scrambled off Eric's lap onto the floor, scooping up her shirt and running into the kitchen, away from view of the stairs. She paused at the kitchen table to throw on her shirt with shaking hands.

Through the doorway, she saw Eric, still shirtless, paused at the foot of the stairs to listen. Despite her panic, she had a moment to admire his bare torso, muscled chest, firm stomach, and jeans hanging low on his hips. My goodness, he made her mouth water.

Vaguely, she heard the sound of water running, and little feet padding across the floor before a door snicked closed.

"Bathroom," Eric mouthed to her, when he saw her peeking around the doorway. He waited one second more, and then started walking toward her with that grin. He slowly pulled her lacy blue bra out of his pocket, and held it out to her, dangling on one finger.

Embarrassment and regret hit Sookie like a ton of bricks. What the hell was she doing? She just seduced the father of the girl she was babysitting! Or, he seduced her? It was fuzzy in her mind, but what stood out clearly was that she didn't know this man. She just met him that day.

It was not Sookie's nature to be so easy and laid back about sex. Her only experience had turned out to be so wrong, and she didn't always trust her judgment anymore. And this episode proved she wasn't trustworthy.

_Oh my God, he's paying me!_ Sookie's mind shouted. _That makes me a…_she couldn't even finish the thought.

She looked up at Eric, standing there holding out her bra with that sexy smile. She reached out and snatched it from him, the expected blush finally spreading up her face.

"I have to go," her voice was a harsh whisper. "I can't do this."

"What?"

"This is wrong," she looked up at him. "You may be used to this sort of thing, but I'm not."

"Wait!" Eric stepped forward and grabbed her shoulders. "What do you mean?" His voice iced over. "Sookie, I don't have a habit of making out with my daughter's babysitters."

"How would I know that?!" her anguish and panic was evident when she spoke. "I don't know you."

Sookie found the courage to meet his eyes. Eric's face was enigmatic as he looked at her for a long moment. Then he let go of her shoulders and took a deliberate step back.

"You're right," His voice was flat. "You don't."

Sookie whirled and practically ran out the front door

**EPOV**

Eric stood staring at the front door long after he heard Sookie's car pull away.

He was a letch.

There was no way around it. He had seduced the babysitter. Deliberately. It didn't matter that she was an adult…

Well, okay it did matter. But that still didn't make it right. Eric wracked his brain, reviewing the evening and trying to find some indication that Sookie didn't enjoy it, didn't participate or was unwilling.

_No._ He shook his head. She had enjoyed it. Eric had enough experience to know the difference. But he did appreciate Sookie's concern over Hadley. She couldn't know that his daughter normally slept like the dead and would never come downstairs on her own in the middle of the night. Sookie had been assigned a duty, and he could see where she might feel she had neglected that assignment.

He just couldn't get over her total mood change. They had enjoyed themselves, given each other pleasure. One minute she was smiling, and the next she was backing away like he was some kind of letch.

Which he was. _Fuck!_

Eric hated feeling conflicted. It was an emotion he had been forced into too often, and was determined not to have to struggle with it again.

Eric walked into the living room and shut off the television. He picked up his now-warm beer, drained it, and set the empty bottle back on the table. Grabbing his shirt from where it landed on top of the lamp, he trudged upstairs.

It wasn't until after he had taken off his jeans and slid naked between the sheets that he remembered.

_I never paid her._


	5. Chapter 5

A/N - Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoy. : )

And thank you, Charlaine Harris, for creating Sookie, Eric, and all of the other amazing characters.

* * *

**SPOV**

"Barmaid!"

Sookie managed to keep smiling at her customers while gritting her teeth. It was a skill every waitress learned. Every waitress that valued their tips, anyway.

She was having a tough week. She had been distracted, unable to sleep, and almost missed one of her three finals. She thought she would be able to breathe after finals were done, but her co-worker and quasi-friend, Arlene, asked Sookie to cover her shift. That meant Sookie was working a double on a Saturday night.

_Never again,_ she vowed. _I don't care how much she misses her kids_. Sookie was a pushover for children, but was not one to be taken advantage of – especially by someone as manipulative as Arlene.

So it was with tired feet and a sigh that she turned to the new customer calling her from the back booth.

Freaking Bill Compton.

_This night just could not get any better._ Sookie made sure to glance at her other tables to see if anyone needed anything before steeling herself for this ordeal. It was bad enough when he brought in Lorena, the woman he cheated on her with, and purposely sat in her section. Or Selah, who didn't know about Lorena, but always thought Sookie was out to steal her man. But when Bill was alone, it did not bode well.

"What do you want, Bill?" Sookie asked in a bored tone.

"Now Sookie," Bill smirked, "Is that any way to speak to the man who popped your cherry?"

"You hush!" she hissed, glancing around to see if anyone had overheard. "Bill Compton, I will not tolerate your insolence and disrespect."

His eyes gleamed. "Why Sookie, I do believe your little classes are making you uppity."

Sookie practically snarled. College, and anything else Sookie sought to improve herself, had always been a sore point between them. She realized, much later, that Bill was intimidated by her intelligence, and strove to control her by holding her back.

He also had a habit of sniffing out when she was interested in a man. He had some sort of weird sixth sense or something – he showed up on her dates, spouted some macho "Sookie is mine!" crap and scared the men away. While Sookie admitted she didn't want to date someone who was so easily intimidated, she would have rather found that out on her own – without Bill's drama.

She took a deep breath and tried to calm down. She promised herself she would not give in to Bill's maneuvering tonight and allow him to cause a scene. This town knew enough about her business; she didn't need to give them more to gossip about.

"What would you like to order off the menu?" she made the question as innocent as possible.

"Hmmmm," he drew it out, almost into a moan. Sookie rolled her eyes. "I'd like a glass of merlot." He paused and looked at her from down his nose. "In a _clean_ glass, please." He was such a snot.

"Right away," she tried not to be sarcastic. Somehow, Bill managed to ogle her breasts before she turned to fill his order. She purposely stopped at several of her tables to get requests before approaching the bar. He could wait a while.

"Sam, I need a glass of merlot," she called to Sam Merlotte, her boss, who was tending bar. "In a _clean_ glass."

"Fucking Bill Compton," Sam growled. He was already protective over Sookie, and the insult to his establishment didn't help. "You want me to kick him out, chere?"

"Nah," Sookie smiled at Sam. He was such a sweetheart. "I can handle him."

"I don't know what you ever saw in him," Sookie's friend and co-worker, Amelia Broadway, sidled up next to her. She called out her order to Sam, and then turned to lean her back against the bar.

Amelia was in college too, and usually worked the same shifts as Sookie. She had moved to Bon Temps from New Orleans a couple of years ago to live with her boyfriend, Bob. But she soon discovered Bob tom-catting around and dumped him. She didn't want to admit she had made a mistake to her controlling father in New Orleans, so she decided to stay in town. Even though Amelia was much bolder than Sookie, they got along famously. Amelia was pretty wild. In fact, she was the only person Sookie knew who dated both men and women.

"Okay, so Bill's not bad looking." Sookie and Amelia both studied his thick dark hair, longish sideburns and thin lips.

"He's not a bad dresser," Sookie admitted, taking in his usual attire of dark colored polo shirt, khaki pants and brown belt.

"He's definitely not a redneck," Amelia turned to look pointedly at the glass of red wine Sam was setting on Sookie's tray. "I don't know any other guy in here that orders wine. This is a beer-drinking establishment."

"That's just it Amelia. He comes across as a nice, wholesome guy. And he is nice and sweet and loving…until he's not."

Amelia scowled. "Yeah, honey. I've seen him be 'not'." She glared at him from across the room. "I swear I'm gonna put a hex on him someday."

Amelia had been reading a series of books about witches, and she was always talking about hexing and putting spells on people. Bill was her favorite target.

"Forget about him," she turned to Sookie with a mischievous look on her face. "Tell me more about hot daddy Viking."

"Amelia, shush!" Sookie admonished. She looked around to make sure no one had overheard. Especially Bill.

"Sook, seriously," Amelia shook her head. "I can't believe you bailed on him. Especially if he was really as hot as you say."

Sookie had wondered the same thing herself. Maybe she had exaggerated Eric's attractiveness. There was no way he could be as hot as she remembered. And even if he was, she had made a huge mistake.

She still felt bad about being practically naked with Hadley right upstairs, but she was more embarrassed by her panicked reaction afterward, and the way she had treated Eric. God, she had pretty much accused him of being some sort of perv, when she had been just as into it as he was. Maybe more. She hadn't dry humped since high school, for pete's sake.

All week long she had dreamed about him – restless, conflicted dreams where she was chasing after him, only to have him reject her. Oh, and the sex dreams. Dirty, hungry, frantic sex dreams. Either way, Sookie woke up exhausted and unsatisfied.

"If I were you," Amelia drawled, "I would call him. Or stop by his house. For some hot nasty monkey sex."

"Shut it, Amelia," Sookie shook her head, and turned to load some drink refills on her tray. She paused when she heard Amelia suck in her breath.

"Stop the press. Who is that?"

Sookie smiled. Amelia always used that movie line when she saw someone attractive. Then she realized that the bar had gone almost silent.

With a weird sense of foreboding, Sookie turned to see an incredible blonde being standing just inside the front door.

"Dibs!" she heard Amelia hiss beside her.

She was Aphrodite come to life: model tall, with long flowing moonbeam hair, slim body with graceful curves, achingly beautiful features, eyelashes Sookie could see from across the room, and perfect pink lips. Dressed like a fifties housewife in a pink sweater set and tan pedal pushers, she managed to capture the attention of everyone in the bar.

Sookie was woman enough to admit that if she were ever going to bat for the other team, it would be with this woman. She was stunning.

"Dibs dibs dibs dibs," Amelia continued to whisper, practically in a trance.

In fact, the whole place seemed entranced. No one had even approached the woman to greet her.

Sookie put on her best welcoming smile and approached the goddess.

"Welcome to Merlotte's. Table for one?"

Sookie heard the door open behind the woman, as she said in a melodious voice. "For two, please."

A familiar sexy smile appeared over the goddess's shoulder. "Why, hello Sookie."

Eric Northman.

"DIBS!" Amelia's voice rang out from across the bar.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N – I took some creative license here – forgive me! I gave Quinn's line to Eric, but I like Eric better anyway.

Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoy.

These characters belong to Charlaine Harris.

* * *

**Pam POV**

_So this delectable creature is Sookie Stackhouse_, Pam's eyes roamed over the buxom blonde standing before her with her mouth hanging open. _And what a pretty little mouth it is._ Eric always did have good taste in women, with the exception of Felicia, mindfucker extraordinaire. But Pam didn't like to think of that aberration.

Actually, they often had the same taste in women and had, on occasion, enjoyed a little competition between them. There was even one memorable night when they just decided to share.

But it was clear from Eric's moping for the past week that he had some sort of hard on for this girl, and Pam was too pleased at seeing him take an interest in a woman beyond one night, to fuck with him by pursuing his babysitter.

His silent brooding since last Saturday had been so irritating. Pam didn't understand why people wasted time mooning over lovers when there was always someone else out there to enjoy. She loved variety, and didn't understand how others could live without it. Still, Eric was her oldest and best friend, and something in him yearned for those messy permanent relationships, so she would do her best to not fuck it up for him.

"Table for two?" the little waitress peeped, her face falling. Oh dear God, she thought they were a couple. Although…_this could still be interesting._

"Yes," Pam purred, pulling Eric out from behind her and wrapping her arm around his. She fondled his bicep and flashed him a smoldering look.

She saw the young face harden, and then Sookie briskly grabbed two menus from a nearby stand and led them to the only open booth in the bar.

Who knew this backwoods town bar would be this crowded? But, market research had shown there wasn't much entertainment around here. That's why Eric was building his bar.

Pam had a moment to admire Sookie's pert, rounded ass before they sat down. She shot Eric a sensual smile, purely for the girl's benefit, but he didn't even notice. He was too focused on his babysitter.

"What can I get you?" the forced cheer was just too much.

"Oh, I don't even know," simpering so much, she was starting to make herself sick. "Darling? What do you think?"

Eric finally snapped out of his trance and looked at her, one eyebrow raised.

"I'll just give you a few minutes to decide," the waitress practically whispered, before running off to her friend at the bar.

_Hmmm, her friend looks interesting…_

"Pam," Eric's low growl interrupted her study of the lithe brunette. She turned to look at him. "What are you doing?"

She rolled her eyes. "Calm down, Northman. I'm just having a little fun."

"Don't fuck with me Pam," his eyes flashed. "I like this girl."

She leaned forward and arched a brow back at him. "I know. You've been a whiny-ass baby all week, going on about how you messed up. It's boring. You're thirty-two years old, for fuck's sake. Grow a set."

She leaned back in her seat and shot a hot glance at the brunette waitress. She loved the soccer mom look on a woman.

"Besides," she said to Eric, "You need to know what this _babysitter_ is made of. If she's going to scamper away every time she has an attack of conscience, then she is SO not for you."

Eric was uncharacteristically quiet. Pam roused herself out of a great game of eyefuck with the brunette to look at him. "Get over it, Northman. So you fucked the babysitter, so what?"

"I didn't fuck her!"

Pam laughed, low and sultry. "Oh, that's right. You dry humped her."

"Shut up, Pam."

She was still laughing when the object of Eric's desire returned to the table.

"Have you decided?" She was so prim. It was cute. They gave her their drink orders, and Eric put his hand on her arm before she could turn away.

"Sookie," Pam found the yearning in his voice pathetic. "Can we talk later?"

The little waitress actually copped an attitude. "I don't think so, Eric. You look like you have plans for the evening." She shot a pointed look at Pam, and stalked away.

Pam smirked at Eric. "I think I like her."

**SPOV**

Sookie was pissed. Beyond pissed. Enraged!

How dare he?! He had a girlfriend. This was no new date he was parading in front of her in some warped Bill-like effort to mess with her. Sookie could see the comfort level between them – they had obviously been together for a long time.

She froze as the worst thought hit her brain. _What if that is his WIFE?_

Oh my God, this was so much worse than messing around with a dad when she should be babysitting. She had sexual relations with a married man!

Sookie leaned against the bar, holding her head down, trying to breathe.

"Sook, are you okay?" She heard Amelia ask. "Did he say something to you?"

Amelia had been quite amused, and disappointed, to find out that Sookie's "hot daddy Viking" was one half of the blonde couple. Sookie thought Amelia might have had ideas of a blondie sandwich with herself as the meat. She rallied quickly, though, and had been sensitive to Sookie's freak out.

"I think," Sookie whispered between pants, "he's married."

"What?" Amelia was surprised. "No way." she said, very definitely. "There is no way. Not unless there are some major fucked up things going on there."

Sookie lifted her head to look at Amelia. "How do you know?"

Amelia's look was shrewd. "Because that woman and I have a major flirtation going on. She wants me. Bad." Amelia nodded toward the booth. "She's been eyefucking me since she walked in. Look for yourself."

Sookie rolled her eyes, and did her best to surreptitiously look at their table. Holy cow, Amelia was right! The woman with Eric was totally coming on to Amelia from across the room. And Amelia was practically melting into a puddle.

So, maybe Eric wasn't with her. At least, not in that way. Sookie felt herself begin to hope.

"I don't know what kind of game he's playing," her friend assured her, "but you definitely have a shot. If you want it." Amelia sauntered off to her tables.

_Do I want it?_ Sookie's body knew the answer to that, but it was her head she was trying to communicate with. For some reason, she lost all reason around Eric. It was like he overloaded her caution sensors.

She couldn't remember feeling this way for someone before. Not even Bill. She thought about Eric day and night, and felt a pull to be around him even now. Would it be so bad to try to get to know him? To see where things could go?

That is, if he was interested.

She grabbed the drinks for Eric and his friend, and walked to their table.

"Here you go," she said, putting the drinks in front of them. "Is there anything else I can get for you?"

The goddess smiled at her. Sookie could be mistaken, but the gesture seemed sincere.

"I'm Pam," she said, "Eric's oldest _friend_."

A lingering tightness around Sookie's heart was eased. "Pleased to meet you," she smiled at Pam. "I'm Sookie…"

"Stackhouse," Pam interrupted, smirking. "Yes, I know. I've heard about how good you are…"

Eric suddenly cleared his throat.

"…at babysitting," she continued, as if he hadn't interrupted. "You've certainly given our Eric a little satisfaction."

Sookie could play along. "Well," she sent a flirtatious look at Eric, "I aim to please."

Her pulse raced when she was rewarded with his sexy grin.

**EPOV**

And he was back in the game.

They exchanged flirtatious looks and innuendo all evening. Eric couldn't help watching Sookie work, eyeing her in the black shorts and snug white shirt that were her uniform. He would have to thank her boss for that excellent wardrobe choice.

The fact that he had seen her half naked just added to the torture. He _knew_ what she looked like under that shirt, and he was dying to see it again.

She was an excellent waitress, chatting with her customers and keeping up with their demands. There was some guy in a back booth that kept giving her trouble, but she seemed to handle it okay. She was smooth. She was smart. And Eric wanted to know more. He _would_ know more.

In the meantime, their "eyefucking", as Pam called it, was awesome foreplay. Eric was reveling in it.

"Well, Northman," Pam smirked at him, after he and Sookie exchanged a particularly heated look, "I think we're both going to get lucky tonight."

"Really," his eyebrow rose as he turned to his friend. "The short-haired brunette?"

They had tried to discuss their plans for their bar throughout the evening. Pam was a partner of sorts, and he had asked her to help him run it. But they had both been too distracted by their respective waitresses to keep each other's attention for long.

"We _talked_ in the bathroom," Pam replied. Eric was momentarily jealous – sometimes dating the same sex was more convenient, especially for bathroom trysts. "Amelia is driving me home." She looked at the waitress, who had removed her apron and was standing near the door, waiting. Pam slid out of the booth and leaned over to kiss Eric on the mouth.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," she whispered.

"Pam, you're the best wingman I've ever had," Eric whispered back. "Be careful."

She waved at him over her shoulder as she strolled to the brunette, and they walked out the door.

The bar was almost empty. Besides Eric, there was the dark-haired guy in the back booth and a middle-aged woman at the bar, who was obviously intoxicated. The bartender was calling her a ride while Sookie was at the bar, counting out her tips.

Eric stood, stretching his arms above his head to work out the kinks. He managed to catch Sookie ogling him again. God, he loved it when she did that.

Eric decided he would wait for her outside. No need for an audience, after all. Eric caught her eye, and then nodded toward the door, one eyebrow raised.

Sweet Sookie caught his drift. She nodded and smiled at him, holding up one finger to tell him she would be just a minute.

He flashed her a grin, and walked toward the front door, knowing her eyes were on his ass.

Once outside in the wooded parking lot, Eric strolled to his 'vette. He sat on the hood, and started to dream about all the ways he could undress Sookie.

They could go back to his house. Haley was spending the night with Mrs. Fortenberry next door. They got along amazingly well. He hadn't told Sookie, but Mrs. Fortenberry was his regular babysitter. She had been unavailable last Saturday, so she had asked a church friend of hers about Sookie. Eric decided then and there that when he picked Hadley up tomorrow, he would give Mrs. Fortenberry a big kiss. On the lips.

But before that, he had other lips to kiss. Soft, pink lips and sexy collarbones. He totally missed the collarbones last time. He wanted to see if he could bring Sookie to orgasm so easily again, and mulled over some ideas.

Eric was pulled from his reverie by the sound of the front door. Sookie strode out of the bar with a scowl on her face. She stalked toward her car, almost missing Eric in the shadowed parking lot.

"Sookie," he called, and she whirled to face him. Her eyes softened, and she started toward him. Without warning, she launched herself into his arms.

God, he loved the feel of her in his arms, all soft and warm, her breasts crushed against him. He noted their size differences – even with him sitting on the low-riding car, she was just taller than him. It brought some interesting sexual positions to mind. He fought the urge to ravish her, instead wanting to know what had made her so angry. "What's wrong?"

She hugged him tighter, and then slowly slid back to look at him, making his dick twitch at the loss of her warm body. God, he loved her eyes.

"Past history," she sighed, looking at him. She was irresistible. He had to taste her. Eric slid his hands to her cheeks, and moved his head toward hers.

"Sookie!" an angry voice interrupted them.

She didn't even turn to look. Just closed her eyes and dropped her forehead to his shoulder.

Eric looked across the parking lot to see the dark haired man from the back booth striding toward them. The self-righteous look on his face was enough tell Eric that this was the source of Sookie's annoyance.

"May we help you?" Eric asked the man nicely. Okay, he was being an asshole, but wanted to maintain the upper hand.

"You," the man snarled, "can let go of my woman."

Sookie groaned against him, making his dick jump again. Damn, he just couldn't control his carnal impulses around her. "The past history?" He asked her.

She raised her head to look at him, weary and embarrassed. She nodded.

"I said get your fucking hands off her," the man was doing his best to intimidate.

Eric considered himself more of a lover than a fighter. But he could be quite dangerous when the occasion called for it. And when it did, he approached battle with the same exuberance as sex, which typically did not bode well for his opponent.

He was ready to let Mr. Past History off the hook. After all, he was in lover mode, and his main goal was still centered on getting Sookie alone. But then Mr. History made a mistake.

He grabbed Sookie.

In mere seconds, Eric had stood, disengaged Sookie from the prick's grasp, and placed her behind him, out of harm's way. He widened his stance, threw back his shoulders and glared down at the man who dared touch his woman.

The bastard visibly paled.

Eric could feel Sookie place her hands on his waist and press against his back. "He won't fight you," her words whispered through the testosterone into his brain. Eric's stance relaxed slightly.

"Shut up, Sookie," the man snarled.

The fool had a death wish.

Sookie stepped around Eric to stand next to him, not quite between the two men.

"Bill, go away," she spoke slowly and firmly, as one should when addressing an idiot.

Bill ignored her, glaring at him instead. Eric took one look and mentally sighed. He could see the fear in the little man's eyes. There would be no fight tonight. Eric's energy would be better directed toward other, more pleasurable pursuits.

And with that, Eric was done.

Unfortunately, Bill wasn't. "Sookie is mine!"

Sookie bristled. "Oh for God's sake! You are such an a-hole!"

Eric grinned at her. He liked that his woman was a little spitfire. "Are you his?" he asked her, knowing full well the answer.

"No!" she couldn't have been more adamant.

"Okay then." He looked at Bill. "I think you're done here."

He took Sookie's hand and led her to the passenger side of his car. He opened the door, waited until she settled into her seat and gave her a warm, lingering kiss. Eric shut her door, then walked to the other side and settled behind the wheel.

He was too focused on the woman beside him to see Bill's gaping form staring after them.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N – I credit the lemons in this chapter to "Pony" by Ginuwine, "Twisted" by New Kids on the Block, and "Carryout" by Timbaland. And here's my warning that it's graphic.

These characters belong to Charlaine Harris.

* * *

**SPOV**

A million thoughts were going through her head. One part of her, she was almost ashamed to admit, was thrilled at the confrontation between Eric and Bill. Well, not the confrontation so much, but the fact that Eric didn't back down. It might be sexist, but a confident man was sexy as hell. And Eric Northman was a confident man.

Her mind was also abuzz with what she was doing in his car, heading God knows where. What were his intentions with her? She had to make it clear to him that she wasn't easy, despite her previous actions. And what were they? She couldn't be casual, or just jump into bed with a man – it wasn't in her makeup. So was he willing to have a girlfriend? Did she want Eric as a boyfriend?

The ideas were so frantic in her head that Sookie didn't notice they had stopped at the light in the middle of town.

"Hey," His voice was low. She turned to look at him; his eyes were full of warmth and his usual spark of mischief.

"Hey," she whispered back.

Eric unbuckled his seatbelt and slid his hand under her hair to the back of her neck. He pulled her toward him and kissed her. Softly. Sweetly. Slowly.

_He kisses like he's been doing it for a thousand years._ All of her nerves melted away.

Eric eventually eased back to look at her. "Better?" he asked. Jeez, was she that obvious? She could feel the blush spreading up her face.

Sookie nodded. Eric re-buckled his seatbelt and drove through the now-green light.

"So," Sookie tried to be nonchalant. "Where are we going?"

"Well, it's about three in the morning, so I think bowling is out."

She gave him a wry look.

"Is my house okay?" he asked.

"What about Hadley?" Sookie was concerned. "No offense, but I don't think I can do what we did before with her upstairs again. That was just way too risky. And I felt horrible about it."

"I noticed." Eric chuckled. A teasing note crept into his voice. "Besides, what gave you the impression we were going to make out again?"

Her mouth dropped open. "Ah, I um…"

Eric's laugh filled the car, and his hand moved from the gear shift to rest just above her knee. "Sookie, I'm teasing you. Believe me, there is nothing I would rather do than have you under me."

Sookie's breath hitched at the image.

"Or on top of me, for that matter." He gave her a heated look, and his hand casually rubbed her thigh above her shorts. She broke out in goosebumps. "I certainly loved you being on top last time."

They pulled into Eric's driveway with Sookie's question unanswered. "Hadley?" she asked again, as they pulled into the garage.

"She's next door, spending the night with Mrs. Fortenberry." He answered, as they exited the car and he unlocked the door to the house. "I was worried that Mrs. Fortenberry wouldn't be up for the challenge that is Hadley…"

Sookie snorted.

"…but I was wrong." Eric glanced at her. "You must know her?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "She and my gran are close, and her son, Hoyt, is my brother Jason's best friend."

"You have a brother?"

Sookie leaned against the island as Eric rummaged in the fridge. "Jason's about four years older than me. We're not very close, but our parents died when we were young, so it's just me and him and Gran. She raised us."

Eric poured her a glass of white wine, and took a beer for himself. "That must have been hard."

"It was," she agreed. "But Gran was awesome. She was dealing with her own grief at losing her son and daughter-in-law, and still had to look after two kids at her age. It couldn't have been easy. She was totally there for us and she helped us through it."

"Sounds like an amazing woman."

"She is," Sookie nodded. "I still live with her, but Jason lives in our parents' house."

"Kids are so resilient," Eric mused. "Hadley was only two and a half when her mother died. She really doesn't remember much of Felicia, but it still wasn't easy."

"I'm so sorry, Eric," Sookie said quietly. "You must miss her very much."

A weird look came over his face, and he quickly changed the subject. "Hadley has really bonded with Mrs. Fortenberry. My daughter seems to have inherited my propensity for respecting people who don't put up with our bullshit." He shot her a wry look. "Like outraged babysitters."

Sookie knew he was teasing her, but was determined to stand her ground. "I know I overreacted a little last week. I'm sorry I ran out on you, but I think I was right."

He raised one eyebrow.

"We shouldn't have done…" she struggled for right words without blushing again "…_what we did_ with Hadley upstairs." Fiddling with the stem of her wine glass, she waited for his reaction.

Eric took a long pull of his beer before nodding. "You're right. Not a good parenting moment. I won't let it happen again."

"What?" He responded to her surprised look. "I'm thirty-two years old. If I didn't have _some_ control over Little Eric by now, I'd be in big trouble."

Sookie couldn't help but giggle. "_Little_ _Eric_?"

He gave her a very male look.

_It was the complete opposite of little!_ Her mind screamed, but Sookie kept her mouth shut.

Eric stepped around Sookie to place his bottle in the sink, and then stepped close behind her.

"We're all alone now," he whispered hotly in her ear, before nibbling her earlobe.

_Dear God in heaven!_ Her mind blanked as she felt his mouth sear a wet path down the sensitive side of her neck. She couldn't stop the moan that escaped her lips.

_Concentrate!_ She told herself, trying to hang onto rational thought. "Eric," she practically groaned as she felt him press against her back. Little(!) Eric had definitely made an appearance. "What are we?"

"Hmmm," he hummed as his mouth found a spot just below her ear. Sookie couldn't help the gasp that escaped.

His hands moved to her waist, up her ribcage to brush the sides of her breasts, and then back down to grip her hips and pull her to him. He rubbed against her. "I'd say we were hot for each other."

Sookie struggled to maintain her line of questioning, despite his distracting her. "No," she gasped as he bit her lightly.

He froze. "No?"

"What?" she was confused. _Why in dear heaven did he stop?_ Then she realized. "Oh! No, not 'no'!" Sookie turned in Eric's arms to look at him. _Oh God, that makes it worse!_ He was so incredibly sexy. She rushed the words to get them out. "I didn't mean for you to stop."

Eric began again instantly. His mouth was hot on her collarbone. Who knew her collarbone would be so sensitive? His hands drifted down her back to caress her butt, eliciting another moan. Sookie had absolutely no idea that could be an erogenous zone. _Everywhere is an erogenous zone when I'm with Eric,_ she admitted to herself.

"I meant," she tried again, "what are we to each other? Are we dating? Are we just friends?" She couldn't stop her own hands from touching the hard muscles of his chest, the chest she had dreamed about for the past week. The chest she wanted to see naked again.

Eric kissed his way back up her neck. He moved one hand to tilt her face up to his.

"Sookie, I don't want to be friends." And then he kissed her.

**EPOV**

God, he couldn't get enough of her. He was addicted. He had yearned for her all week, replayed their time together over and over until he had to relieve the pressure in the morning shower.

Her ass was so round, so juicy. He loved squeezing it.

Eric had no idea why this woman had him so worked up, but he wasn't going to take time now to find out. _Fuck_, he thought he was going to die when she told him to stop. Stop?! Eric amazed himself that he had the control to pause, despite what he had said earlier about being master over "Little Eric". Thank Christ she didn't mean it.

Eric gripped Sookie's ass again, and bent his knees to grind her against his erection.

He still had enough rational thought to realize she needed reassurance about being there with him, doing what they were going to do. Eric knew she was trying to tell him she was a good girl; a girl that didn't hop into bed with just anyone. Hell, he knew that. He knew from her reaction after their last erotic session that this wasn't her usual modus operandi. She'd been raised by her grandmother, for God's sake.

He grabbed the back of Sookie's thighs to lift her and sit her on the island, which was at a height more conducive to grinding. _Ah, much better!_

Eric didn't have the ability to reassure her with words right now. He wasn't sure where this fascination with Sookie was going, and he wasn't eager to define it. He was, however, eager to enjoy it; without any expectations, aside from pleasure.

He un-tucked her tight t-shirt that had taunted him all night, and pulled it off. He ached to touch her. He caught sight of the white lace demi-bra cupping her breasts. So fucking virginal and sexy at the same time; it was one hell of a combination. The sight of the bra changed his mind, and instead of unclasping it, he reached into the cups to pull her breasts out for his viewing. Now the gorgeous globes were framed by that white lace. God, she took his breath away. He wanted to devour her.

Eric leaned down to pop an erect nipple into his mouth, and was rewarded with a moan and her hands in his hair. She had this way of lightly scraping her nails against his scalp that made him so hard. He sucked her nipple and was rewarded with a slight tug of his hair. It inflamed him.

He reached down and quickly undid her shorts. Kissing his way back up her neck, he lightly bit her jaw before dragging his lips across hers. He licked and sucked her lips, taking his time and losing himself in the pleasure. He loved to kiss, loved to devour. He slid his tongue into her mouth and he growled when she sucked on it.

Eric had to focus, or she was going to make him end this too soon. He wanted to drag it out, make every moment count so that when he was away from her he could relive every second until he could have her again. He knew from the way she was clinging to him and hitching her breath that she was getting close.

He tugged at her shorts, and Sookie obligingly lifted her hips so he could slide the shorts and underwear off of her. He slid his hands up the insides of her thighs, feeling the silky soft skin, rubbing roughly, then gently, arousing her steadily. He spread her legs wide, knowing she felt exposed and open. He knew she yearned for him to touch her, and he denied her that pleasure, teasing her to the height of arousal. When he finally slid one finger between her folds to brush against her clit, she practically screamed into his mouth.

She was soaking wet, and he wanted to lap at her, make her beg for him. He plunged two fingers inside of her, moving deeply in and out. He brought his other hand to her breast and teased the nipple. Her hips bucked against him.

_Later_ he promised himself. _I'll make it longer for her later_. Right now, he couldn't wait. He had to have her.

Eric plunged his fingers back inside her and curled them up to hit that sweet spot.

Sookie exploded. She threw her head back, crying out his name. Eric felt her clenching around his fingers as her orgasm continued.

_Fuck, she's beautiful_, he mused as he watched her release. He took his hand from her breast and plunged it into her hair, removing her hair tie. He cupped the back of her head and drew her lips to his. Eric used his mouth and tongue to kiss her, ease her down until she stopped shaking so badly.

He eased his fingers out of her and she moaned at the loss. Eric smiled against her mouth, and then leaned back to look her in the eye as he slid his fingers in his mouth and sucked her essence off of him. She was mesmerized. She was delicious.

His erection was straining in his pants. He reached his hand down to rub himself. "Let's continue this upstairs."

**SPOV **

There weren't words; not syllables or sounds she could wrap together to express the feelings that had just pummeled her body. She was undone.

And as she looked at Eric, with that intense look in his eye, sucking her essence off his fingers, she was ready to do it all again.

He made her insatiable.

She couldn't say that her previous experience was bad. In fact, she had thought it quite good compared to the backseat fumbling her friends had experienced in high school. After all, she had lost her virginity in an actual bed, with a man who had waited for her, told her he loved her, and worked to make sure she experienced pleasure before he achieved his.

But Sookie had absolutely no idea it could feel like this, be like this. Bill was like a motor scooter, a fun ride, reliable and steady. Eric was a Harley, all sleek and powerful, dangerous and thrilling. She probably could have lived her life riding a scooter, but now that she had experienced a Harley, there was no going back. She was ruined.

And she wanted more.

Her breath hitched as Eric pulled his fingers out of his mouth, reached down and rubbed the enormous bulge in his jeans.

"Let's continue this upstairs."

She had just a moment to hesitate before he wrapped her legs around his waist, and cupped her butt to lift her against him. Her core brushed against his erection and they both moaned. Sookie wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her exposed breasts against his chest. She kissed him, putting all the passion she felt into her tongue and lips, trying to convey her overwhelming emotions. Her lips traveled down the strong column of his neck, biting and sucking. He seemed to especially enjoy the biting, flexing his hips and groaning.

Sookie had this primal urge to leave a mark, to identify him as belonging to her, a warning to all other females that would desire him.

Eric carried her down the hallway and started up the stairs, just as Sookie bit the side of his neck, hard.

"FUCK!" he stumbled on a step, and they fell forward. Eric had one arm wrapped around her back and the other braced their fall on the stairs.

Sookie was instantly contrite. "I'm sorry," she murmured, kissing the spot to make it better. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

Eric was panting. "Don't do that again," he growled.

_Oh no!_ Her heart fell.

Eric rose up to look at her. His eyes were blazing. "Not unless you want me to fuck you right here." He ground against her.

_Sweet Jesus!_ Her heart started pounding again, as she felt just how much the bite had affected him. She had no idea he could get _bigger!_

An idea occurred to her, something she had never tried, something that sounded so incredibly attractive and appealing that she didn't want to hold back. And, with Eric, she didn't feel like she had to.

Sookie removed her arms from around Eric's neck. She grasped the hem of his shirt and quickly slid it up over his head and off. Then she skimmed her hands slowly down his chest and rubbed his nipples lightly, causing him to hiss and his hips to flex against her.

Sookie took her time, touching him, feeling the texture of the light hair across his pecs, feeling the hard muscle under smooth skin, tracing the line down the middle of his muscled stomach. Her finger dipped briefly into his belly button before following the line of hair below it to the button of his jeans.

Knowing how much it turned him on, she looked up into his eyes as she unbuttoned his jeans and eased the zipper down.

He stopped breathing.

With the back of her hand, she slid down his abs to stop at his erection. She released him from his pants and gripped him, wrapping her fingers around his base firmly. _Sweet Lord_ he was large. She felt a moment of nervousness, but her hormones wouldn't allow her to falter.

Sookie gave Eric a slow, experimental upward stroke, and was rewarded with a forceful moan as he released a breath.

She rubbed the tip with her thumb, feeling the wetness there and spreading it around before sliding her hand back down to the base.

Eric sucked in air. _He's gonna pass out if he doesn't breathe more often than that_, she thought saucily, feeling heady with her sudden sexual power. She decided to go for it.

She placed her left palm on his chest and pushed him back from her, while her right hand still firmly gripped his erection to keep him from going too far.

With their eyes still locked, she began sliding down the stairs underneath him. Sookie leaned up to kiss down his stomach, dip her tongue in his belly button and follow the line of hair to where her hand held him captive.

She stuck out her tongue, watching his blue eyes darken to sapphire, and licked his tip.

"Yes," he whispered, panting.

She broke eye contact to look at the straining manhood she held in her hand. Sookie had thought she would feel awkward and inexperienced, but she didn't. She felt sexy and powerful and liberated. She felt the control he was giving to her, the trust, and she reveled in it.

Sookie rested her forehead against his lower belly, taking a moment to breathe in Eric's musky, soapy scent before placing the tip of his erection in her mouth and sucking on it.

His whole body tensed, and he moved to brace his knees on the steps beside her.

She slid her left hand behind him to scrape her nails down his back, across one rounded cheek, and then cup it to pull him toward her and into her mouth.

Eric cried out, tensing again as she pushed him out of her mouth and then pulled him back in. She continued this until she felt confident he understood the rhythm she had found comfortable, and then she moved her right hand to join her left in caressing and squeezing his butt. _Holy cow_, _I love his ass_, she thought as she sucked and licked the hard length sliding between her lips.

With her hands, she could feel his hips flex, and that turned her on so incredibly. She felt the cool air on her exposed nipples and her own hips moved in time with his. Her hands roamed his rear, tracing the crease between his cheeks, finding that it made Eric's hips thrust a little harder and his breath come a little faster.

"Sookie," he groaned, and she adored sound of her name said in his passion-soaked voice. She increased the tempo of his hips, urging him to go slightly faster, taking a little more of him into her mouth in each stroke. She felt like she wasn't able to take much, but he was obviously enjoying what she was doing.

"Sookie," Eric sounded desperate, "Lover, I'm close." He hissed in a breath as she rolled her tongue around him on a downstroke. He sounded like he was choking. "You need to stop."

_Stop?! Why would I stop?_ She moaned a negative, refusing to stop the pleasure she was giving him, and herself. Sookie had never realized how turned on, how much ecstasy she would receive from giving pleasure. She never wanted to stop.

Sookie sucked harder, deeper, and felt a thrill when she heard Eric cry out. She felt something explode down her throat, and instinctively swallowed the hot saltiness.

Eric's movements stilled, and she slowed her own movements until he pulled away from her mouth.

"Jesus Fucking Christ, Sookie," he sighed, and sat back to reach down and pull her up the stairs and into his arms. He hugged her to him for a long moment, his face buried in her neck.

She cherished the moment, running her hands soothingly up and down his back, feeling the slight sheen of sweat all over his skin. Everything about him, about the whole experience, was beyond incredible.

After a warm squeeze, Eric lifted his head to brush his lips against hers, dipping his tongue into her mouth in an unhurried caress.

His kisses made her knees weak.

Eric finally leaned back to smile at her. His hair was a blonde mess, falling into his eyes, and it made her want to do everything, all of it, again. He was sex on fire, and Sookie felt suddenly lost, adrift with only Eric as her guide.

She reached up to brush a sweat-dampened lock of hair out of his eye, and he turned his head to kiss her hand.

"We may have to sleep here," he said grimly.

She didn't understand.

At her questioning look, he smiled ruefully. "I don't think I have the energy to make it upstairs."

She couldn't stop the giggle that bubbled out of her. Sookie pushed her breasts back into her bra as he tucked himself back in his jeans. She noticed him watching, and giggled again at his crestfallen expression. She grabbed his hand and they walked up the stairs together.

At the top, Eric guided her toward his dark bedroom to his king-sized bed. Sookie took off her bra and slid naked between the sheets. Eric removed his jeans to slide in beside her.

He laid on his back, reaching out an arm to tuck her close into his side. Sookie rested her head on his shoulder, her hand splayed across his chest.

She felt her eyelids growing heavy as the enormity of the evening's events pushed her to sleep. So many thoughts chased circles in her head, but her exhaustion reigned supreme.

One thought escaped.

"Eric?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you _ever_ wear underwear?"

She felt the vibration of Eric's chuckle rumble through his chest. He leaned over to kiss the top of her head, warming her heart.

"Not around you, Lover."


	8. Chapter 8

**EPOV**

Eric woke up with morning wood. At thirty-two years old, this was not an every day occurrence. But, it was also not a common occurrence to wake up with a warm, soft blonde in his bed.

At least, one that wasn't his daughter.

Eric was a single dad. He hadn't been celibate since his wife's death, but he was very cautious about who he exposed Hadley to, and had not spent the entire night with anyone in a very long time. He normally left after their evening's activities, and if the woman couldn't understand why it had to be that way, then she was gently, but firmly, dismissed.

But Sookie…Sookie was in his bed, and he _loved_ it.

They were spooning, with his arm wrapped around her waist and her butt snuggled against his growing morning wood.

Last night, before she had given him that mind-blowing blow job, she had tried to figure out his intentions toward her. Eric was still unsure about that himself. He could admit that he felt a connection to her that he hadn't felt in a very long time. The only problem was the memory of the last time he had felt a connection to a woman.

He had married her. And it had been a disaster of epic proportions.

Felicia had been high strung and high maintenance, but Eric had found that challenging. He had experienced many women at that point, and Felicia was the first to intrigue him, to draw him in and leave him wanting more.

_She was also the first to break my heart and fuck with my mind,_ Eric couldn't help but remind himself.

But that wasn't the worst of his memory of Felicia. After all, Eric was a man, and every man worth anything had his heart broken at least once. He could deal with a broken heart. What he couldn't deal with was the way Felicia had almost damaged Hadley. An innocent child deserved a mother who loved her, who cared for her and protected her, and it was the one thing Eric hadn't been able to give his daughter. Thank God Hadley couldn't remember her mother. Felicia's death had been a blessing.

Eric's attention was distracted by Sookie's long, slow stretch of her body, awakening parts of his.

"Hmmm," the delectable woman moaned.

Eric felt the feral grin slide over his face. _Time for some fun!_

He took one heavy, warm hand and stroked it forcefully down her side, over her hip and down her thigh.

She moaned again.

_Is she dreaming about us? _He couldn't help but wonder, considering the erotic note to her moan.

Eric rubbed her hip, and then pulled her against his groin, allowing her to feel the hardness there.

"Oh!" Sookie's eyes popped open, wide, and she turned her head to look at him.

The feral grin widened. "Good morning," he growled in his sleep-roughened voice. He dipped his head to lay a kiss on her bare shoulder, still keeping eye contact. His hand raised from her hip to cup her breast and he rubbed his thumb across her nipple.

"Oh!" this time she jumped a bit, and reached for a sheet to pull up to her chin.

Eric was a little dismayed at her apparent lack of enthusiasm. He sincerely hoped today would not be a repeat of the last time they had enjoyed each other, when she freaked out and ran. He wouldn't participate in those kinds of games. Not again.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked her, trying to control the urge to rip the sheet away and ravish her.

"It's morning."

Eric nodded. "And I can't think of a better way to start the day."

Her eyes were still wide. "But, it's light out. We can see each other."

"I've always thought that was a good thing." Was she some sort of prude? He would never have figured that.

"I haven't even brushed my teeth!"

This was about hygiene? "Sookie, I could give a rat's ass about morning breath. I just want to taste you."

Her surprise was evident. "You don't care? You don't think it's gross?"

His smile was wry. "Considering the part of my anatomy you licked and sucked last night, don't you think we're past trivialities like _morning breath?_"

She blushed from her delectable chest to the tips of her ears.

Eric rolled Sookie onto her back, and leaned over her, just a breath away. "I want to lick you," he purred, looking her body up and down hungrily. "I want to taste you. I want you sweaty from working out so I can smell the muskiness on your skin, and I want you fresh from a shower, all clean and sweet. Hell, I want you _in_ the shower, so I can wash you and rub you all over."

His head dipped and he kissed her, long, slow and deep, before pulling back to look in her eyes. "Sookie, I want you - in every way I can get you."

Her amazement puzzled him enough that he felt it prudent to stop and delve a little deeper.

"Lover," he said softly, "have you had much experience with men?"

"Yes!" she was indignant immediately. "Well, I mean, not a _lot_ of experience. But I'm not a virgin."

Eric nodded, still trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together. "Do you mind my asking how many men you've been with?"

He could see her mulling it over in her head, and he knew instinctively she wasn't counting to a really high number. Rather, she was determining if he had a right to know such personal information. And Eric knew, in that instant, that if she told him the information he had asked of her, then she had every intention of sleeping with him. She simply wouldn't share the information otherwise.

He waited, on baited breath.

She almost couldn't look him in the eye. "One," she whispered.

Eric was floored. How could she naturally be so sensual, so sexual? There is no way that Bill idiot could have awakened anything in her.

Eric had to ask. "Bill?"

She nodded.

Her reaction this morning was starting to make some sense.

"And you never made love in the morning?"

She shook her head. "He was an only-after-dark kind of guy."

"And maybe a little over-concerned about hygiene?" She nodded again. It was simple sick fascination that had him asking further. "Missionary only? Under the covers? No oral sex?"

He didn't even need to hear her whispered "yes" to know. The sensual, sexual woman in his arms had been deprived of her nature, forced to hold back her natural exuberance due to Bill's idiotic lack of self-confidence and need to control. What a waste.

And now, what an opportunity! Eric was just the man to awaken this sleeping beauty, to free her from the ridiculous limits imposed upon her and allow her to become the sexual person she was.

Eric hadn't had this much fun in ages.

"Sookie, you have no idea the Pandora's box you have just opened."

**SPOV**

_Dear Lord, what I have gotten myself into?_ She couldn't help but think when she saw the excited gleam in Eric's eyes as he lowered his head to hers.

His kisses were devastating. A bomb could have gone off, and all she would be able to concentrate on were his lips, his tongue, the way he pressed his body against hers.

She welcomed the distraction, immersed herself in the feel of Eric's body against hers. She had been slightly embarrassed at his line of questioning, and a little worried about his opinion of her lack of inhibition on the stairs last night. She had never done anything like that. Bill had thought it "demeaning", so Sookie had felt bad somehow at wanting to try it. Even though she now recognized Bill's warped way of controlling her, she still felt she had to overcome her inhibitions. Last night with Eric had been liberating, and she didn't want to lose that sense of power and self-confidence.

Sookie brought her hands up to Eric's hair, running her fingers through its silkiness, tugging slightly on the strands when she remembered how he seemed to like it.

She adored the feel of his naked body against hers. They had never been completely nude together, and she was intoxicated by the brush and press of his skin. She ran her hands down and across his broad shoulders, feeling the muscles bunched there, and then across his shoulder blades. Her nails scratched lightly across his back as she felt him lick and suck a particularly sensitive area on her neck. Sweet Lord, this man knew what he was doing. He knew where to touch her, where to press, where to rub and stroke. Even now, his large, warm hand was sliding down her side to reach behind and cup her buttock. Again, Sookie was amazed at how much of a turn on it was when he grabbed her there. His hand slid further down her thigh and raise her leg so he could shift his thigh between hers.

And oh, was that a devastating move. His leg was all sleek, hard muscle slightly roughened with hair that tickled the insides of her thighs. His body was hot, like a flame that fascinated and warmed, but could also burn. He set her further ablaze when he shifted to lean into her body, raising his thigh to press against her core.

Her breath caught. With his hand on her butt, his mouth on her neck and his thigh pressing against her, she felt overwhelmed. Unknowingly, her nails clenched into his back and she rubbed herself against his leg, pressing her breasts against his chest.

Sookie knew she was going to sleep with Eric. The knowledge had hit her like a ton of bricks when she slid into his bed last night. She just hadn't pictured it happening in his bed, in the morning, quite this way. But right now, Sookie was beyond ready, and beyond caring just how closely reality matched fantasy. She wanted Eric. Right now.

And suddenly he was stopping.

She let out a disappointed and angry moan, as Eric's hand removed itself from her butt, and he lifted his lips off her neck. She writhed against him, urging him to continue.

Sookie heard his chuckle. "Just a minute, Lover," he kissed her earlobe and she shivered. "I have to answer that."

_Answer what?!_ What could possibly need to be answered in this moment?

And then she registered the ringing of the phone on his bedside table.

_Jeez Sookie_, she panted, _get a hold of yourself!_ She had never been so easily enflamed. It was almost embarrassing.

"Ten o'clock?" he was nodding into the phone. "No problem! I'll see you then. Really, I can't thank you enough, Mrs. Fortenberry. I was able to accomplish a lot last night." Eric smirked at her, as he finished his conversation and hung up the phone.

Immediately, he swept her back into his arms. "Hmm," he purred, burying his head into her neck. "I wish I could stay here all morning," he planted light kisses along her neck and onto her shoulder, "but I have to pick up Hadley at ten, and we still have to take you back to your car."

Panic hit Sookie. "TEN? What time is it now?" She searched frantically around the room for a clock.

Eric rolled away to look at his alarm clock on the side table. "Nine."

"SHOOT!" Sookie scrambled out of bed, searching for her clothes. It was a panicked moment before she realized she had only come upstairs in her bra. Her shirt and shorts were still in the kitchen.

She jumped when Eric appeared behind her, holding out a clean white t-shirt.

"Thanks," she smiled, and threw it on. It came down to her knees. "Eric, how fast does your car go?"

He merely grinned at her.

"Good!" she nodded. "Because you've got to get me to my house before my gran gets home."


	9. Chapter 9

A/N - Thank you for tuning in, and if you've left a review, thank you again! This is short, but necessary.

I have my copy of Dead in the Family on reserve. Do you?

**EPOV**

"Did you miss me, Daddy?"

Eric never tired of hearing his daughter's voice.

"Yes, baby," he smiled at her. She had demanded he put the top down and the wind was whipping through her hair. She had a huge grin plastered across her face. "I always miss you."

"Daddy, were you with a hootchie mama last night?"

He almost slammed on the breaks. _Hootchie mama?_ "Hadley, where on earth did you hear that expression?"

"Pam," she answered honestly. "Pam says that when you get cranky, you need to spend time with a hootchie mama. Then you'll be in a good mood."

He was dumbfounded. His mouth was hanging open.

"And," his darling daughter continued, "you've been in a horrible mood all week, but now you're happy. So you _must _have spent time with a hootchie mama last night while I was at Mrs. F's."

He was going to kill Pam.

"Hadley Elizabeth," his voice was stern and parental, "you have been instructed to ignore all the words that leave Pam's mouth. Do you remember us talking about this?"

"Yes, Daddy."

"So, you understand that 'hootchie mama' is not an appropriate phrase to use?"

"Yes, Daddy." Eric could practically hear his daughter thinking. "So, douche bag, num-nuts and bimbo aren't appropriate either?"

Eric ground his teeth. "No."

He just barely heard her mumble over the wind noise. "No wonder Mrs. F looked like that when I said Hoyt's new girlfriend looked like a bimbo."

He shook his head and took a deep breath. Thank God Mrs. Fortenberry had a child of her own. In fact, since Hoyt was in his twenties and still lived at home, she likely had more patience than other parents. Still, Eric decided then and there that he would strangle Pam the next time he saw her.

He was startled from his daydreams about killing Pam when Hadley placed her small hand on his arm.

"Daddy," her little voice rang out, "men have needs."

He choked. "What?!"

"Sophie-Anne at school said that her dad told her that men have needs, and that's why he goes out on dates with girls."

_Why did I decide to send her to school? Why didn't I lock her in a closet and home school her?_ Eric shook his head, and tried to figure out the best way to respond to Hadley.

She knew she had her father's attention. He could tell by the excitement in her eyes as she continued. "Sophie-Anne lives with her dad, too, but her mom is still alive. She just lives in New Orleans with her boyfriend, the jerk."

Eric was unsure how to respond.

"So Sophie-Anne's dad goes out on dates and sometimes Sophie-Anne gets to meet his girlfriends." There was a significant pause, which Eric knew did not bode well for him. "Daddy, why don't you have a girlfriend?"

"Umm," his mind was frantic as he tried to figure out the best way to answer and end the conversation.

Hadley continued on merrily. "I think if you had a girlfriend you could kiss you would be happy."

Eric was shocked. "Hadley, what makes you think I'm not happy?"

"I don't know," she shrugged her shoulders. "Sometimes you're really cranky, and you look sad, especially when someone mentions my mom. So maybe you need a girlfriend."

She was such a caring girl. "Baby, I don't need a girlfriend. And I have you. I'm very happy."

"Still," Hadley was adamant. "It's time you got back out there, Daddy. We need to find you a nice girlfriend. Someone that likes kids. And shopping." Hadley had just discovered shopping, and it was her new passion.

Well, maybe his daughter had a point. Maybe it was time he got back out there, and not just for himself. It seemed Hadley might be missing something in her own life as well. Eric's thoughts strayed to Sookie, as they had been all week. Maybe he should take a chance…

"Dad, I think Sookie should be your girlfriend."

Startled, Eric looked at Hadley. "What?"

"You know," she rolled her eyes, "the lady that babysat for me last week. Sookie. I really liked her, Dad. I think she should be your girlfriend."

Eric felt himself grin. His daughter was a genius. "Hadley, I think might be right."

**SPOV**

"Gran!" Sookie hopped up from the kitchen table when her grandmother walked in the back door. She gave her a hug and a kiss. "Did you have fun?"

"Goodness, yes!" Gran smiled, set down her purse and sat at the kitchen table. Sookie grabbed a glass and poured her a sweet tea.

"I will never tire of viewing those battlefields," Gran declared, the exhausted look on her face contradicting her declaration. Sookie chuckled. Gran was probably worn out from all the rebel-rousing she and her club did on those trips. She had accompanied her grandmother on one of the Descendants of the Glorious Dead's previous field trips, and that group of Civil War-obsessed ladies was a lively one. They might be senior citizens, but they knew how to have a good time. And that had been a day trip – not an overnighter like Gran had just had.

"Lucille's son is going to take all of our pictures and put them on some sort of thing so we can see them on television."

Sookie smiled. "A DVD?"

"Yes!" Gran shook her head. "We've come a long way from projector slide shows."

"Well, I can't wait to see them, Gran."

"Yes, well, that sure will be something." Gran took a long swallow of her sweet tea. "Sookie, I never did ask you just how your babysitting job went with Mr. Northman."

Sookie's heart began to race. "Fine, Gran. Everything went fine. Hadley was a handful, but very enjoyable."

Gran leaned close, her eyes sparkling. "And Mr. Northman? Is he as handsome as I heard tell?"

She fought the urge to giggle. "He's very handsome, Gran."

Her grandmother gave her a calculating look. "Handsome enough to grab my Sookie's interest?"

"Gran!"

"Honey," Gran put her hand over Sookie's. "You're young. And while I don't encourage scandalous behavior, it is time you got out there and had some fun."

Sookie was shocked.

"You've pined over Bill," Gran shook her head, and Sookie almost swore she said a bad word, "and worked yourself to death. Now, you have the summer off of school, and you need to enjoy your youth before it's too late."

Gran leaned back and gestured out the window. "Go out. Have fun. Enjoy yourself! Make memories with men like Mr. Northman – memories that will keep you warm when you're an old lady like me." She winked at Sookie.

While Sookie sat with her mouth open in shock, Gran finished her tea, stood and went to the sink to rinse out her glass. "Now, this old woman is going to go take a nap." She leaned down to hug Sookie, and kissed the top of her head. "You listen to your gran, girlie. I love you."

"I love you too, Gran," Sookie smiled at her grandmother as she left the room.

_Who would've thought?_ She just couldn't believe her grandmother was practically encouraging her to have a love affair with Eric. Gran was a wild one, that's for sure.

Sookie wondered if she should have gone to all the trouble to get back home so quickly that morning. Maybe Gran would've understood if she had told her she had spent the night at Mr. Northman's house.

Her mind drifted back to the thrilling ride in Eric's car. She realized on the way to her house that she had left her car at Merlotte's, so they had to race even faster to make it to her car so she could get home. Eric was completely understanding about Gran not knowing where Sookie spent the night. Either he wanted to keep their relationship secret, or he understood what that was like – maybe from protecting Hadley.

Either way, Sookie was stunned when Eric got out of the car to take her in his arms and kiss her senseless in Merlotte's empty parking lot. She really wasn't aware of the rules of having an affair, if that's what they were having, and the passionate kiss surprised her. _It shouldn't have_, she thought. _Eric's such a passionate guy._

Just the thought and memory of that kiss got her heated. He really was overwhelming – passionate, practiced, sensual and personable. She had never met anyone with such an enthusiasm for everything he did. He was a fantasy come to life.

Sookie thought over the advice her grandmother gave her, knowing that advice from Gran was typically sound. She determined then and there to enjoy Eric Northman. In whatever form she could get him.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N – I loved Dead in the Family. If you haven't read it, do it. Now. You won't regret it.

I also love your continued support and reviews. Thanks for reading!

These characters belong to the great Charlaine Harris, who needs to announce when book 11 is going to be released.

**EPOV**

Eric pulled off his tie as he strode to his car. It was late, and he had stayed in the construction trailer talking to the foreman until long past dark. Ground had been broken today on his new nightclub, and he couldn't contain his excitement. After he had the approval, he had moved quickly to make things happen. He had been planning this for too long to allow any delays.

Eric had made his living owning clubs before he was married. He had worked up from bartending to managing to owning. His first club had done so well, he had been able to open another. After he married and Hadley was born, he was forced to cut back his hours. Felicia had not been interested in "babysitting", so Eric had been the primary caregiver of their daughter. Unable to spend the hours needed to operate and manage two clubs, he had sold one. After Felicia's death, he had continued operating the club until about a year ago. Pam had just fled New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, and was looking for business opportunities. She and Eric had met at a club they had co-managed in St. Louis, and she called him to offer him a deal. If he fronted the capital and built the club, she would manage it for a portion of the profits. Eric couldn't refuse. He was ready for the challenge of something new, knew Pam would be highly successful, and the setup would allow him be home at with Hadley. He jumped at the chance.

Things were coming together, and Eric couldn't be more pleased. He lowered the top on his corvette, and sped out onto the highway, the breeze blowing away some of the swampy Louisiana humidity.

The heat made him restless; made him think of a certain blonde, whose lips he hadn't tasted in two weeks. Two weeks was too long. Eric was a sexual animal, and now that the animal had been awakened, he didn't want to settle back down.

He considered driving to Merlotte's. He had stopped in once last week when he saw her car in the lot, but had gone in to find her slammed with customers, and was forced to settle for a few flirtatious looks.

It wasn't long before the bar would be closing, and Eric had time to wait. Hadley was spending the night at her friend Sophie-Anne's house, and they were going to the zoo tomorrow. After hearing tales about Sophie-Anne's father, Eric was a little reluctant to let her stay overnight. But when he met the Sophie-Anne's dad, he felt a kindred spirit with another single father. The man had obviously loved his daughter, and Eric felt Hadley was in good hands.

So, with the remainder of his night free, he found his car driving toward Merlotte's and Sookie Stackhouse.

**SPOV**

Sookie was exhausted. Waiting tables was not an easy job, and the knowledge of that was one of the reasons she enrolled in college. And although being out of school for the summer was helping her exhaustion level, her feet and head were still throbbing from working another double shift. She ducked into Sam's office to pick up her purse, and then headed toward the front door, waving goodbye to her boss.

Sookie was irritable – had been all week. That darned Eric Northman. No sooner had she decided to enjoy him than he had disappeared. She caught a glimpse of him last week in Merlotte's, but she had been busy, and by the time her tables calmed down, he was gone.

She was confused more than ever about what they were to each other. She didn't think he was a person who would just fool around with his daughter's babysitter, but she also recognized that Eric was a charismatic, attractive man. He could have any woman he wanted – what made her think he was interested in her, of all people? She was not normally casual with her affections. She thought Eric had understood that, and appreciated it. She thought they had an understanding…sort of.

He was probably out in Shreveport right now, wining and dining some woman; a woman who might have a little more class or a better upbringing than she did. What made him think she wasn't good enough for him? What made him think he could just give her amazing kisses and devastating orgasms, and then never even call? She had never done…what she did to him…for anyone else. Didn't he realize how special that was?

Sookie was in a fine lather when she walked out the front door and stalked across the parking lot toward her car. It took a moment for her to register the red Corvette parked next to her Nova, and another moment to notice the long, lean blonde sitting on the hood.

"Hello, Lover," Eric's sultry voice was tempting, and fueled Sookie's fire.

"Don't you 'Hello Lover' me, in your sexy tone, Eric Northman," she stomped right up to him and poked a finger in his chest.

He looked surprised. _The swine._

"I gave you…" she hesitated saying the somewhat trashy phrase, "…_head_, and you don't even call me afterward? And now you show up all hot and tempting and expect me to just fall at your feet? I don't think so, mister."

"Sookie," Eric was obviously taken aback. She waited to hear his excuses. "I'm very sorry. You're absolutely right – I should have called you."

"Darn right, you should have!"

"I didn't know how much you wanted your grandmother to know about us," he continued, "and I didn't have any other number for you."

Sookie was still scowling.

He continued. "I've been swamped trying to break ground for my club in Shreveport, but I stopped in here last week to see you." He reached out his hand to stroke down her arm and tangle his fingers in hers. "You were really busy, and I didn't want to bother you, so I left."

Eric pulled her hand up to kiss her fingers, one by one. "But I missed you. Terribly." He tugged her closer to him, reaching his other hand up into her hair to stroke the nape of her neck. He gave her a slow, heated look. "Did you miss me?"

Sookie nearly answered in the affirmative, swayed by his good looks and smooth charm, before she shook herself and stiffened. "Eric, I will not be derailed. I thought you understood that I don't," she paused, "_involve_ myself with men casually. If that's all you're after, then you're calling on the wrong girl."

"Lover," he purred, pulling her closer to him, brushing his lips lightly across hers, "I told you…I want you in any way I can have you."

Sookie pulled back. "Excuse my French, Eric, but that is a shitty cop-out."

She saw shock and _admiration?_ in his eyes.

"That's saying nothing about your intentions," she continued. "Since you had your chance, now it's my turn to speak." Sookie leaned forward, into Eric's space. "I want you, Eric Northman. More than any man I've ever encountered before. But I'm not a floozy, and I deserve respect. If you want to continue to see me, you're going to have to make an effort, and a commitment."

He crossed his arms across his chest and raised one eyebrow. "Go on."

"I think we need to set up some ground rules here."

A new gleam appeared in Eric's eyes. She had a sudden suspicion he enjoyed negotiation. "Name your terms," his voice had an edge of anticipation.

She took a deep breath. "One: you will take me out on proper dates, meaning you will pick me up at my door, meet my grandmother, feed me something nice for dinner, and return me at a respectable hour."

There was no hesitation. "Done," he said. "Two?"

"Two: we communicate. I understand and respect that you're busy; I am too. But that is no reason to go two weeks after such an intimate act before talking again. You have my number. Use it."

He nodded, his eyes slightly apologetic. "That's more than reasonable. Anything else?"

"Yeah," Sookie stepped closer, leaning into Eric's body, and grasped the front of his button-down shirt. "If you commit to me, then it's to me only, no one else. No dates, no 'late meetings', no one-night flings with anyone else. If you do, I guarantee I'll find out and that will be the end. No second chances. Cheating is a deal breaker for me. I. Don't. Share."

Eric growled, and his hand buried in her hair as his lips claimed hers. The kiss was possessive; a claiming, on both sides. It appeared as though he had no problem with the last term, either.

He pulled back to look at her. "Now my terms."

"Name it."

"You're mine," Eric demanded, and Sookie opened her mouth to protest. Not sharing was one thing, but possession was another. Eric stopped her. "Just as I'm yours. I want _you_ to commit to _me_, as well. And I have Hadley to consider." The thought made Sookie pause. There was more on the line than just their own feelings.

Eric pulled his hand from her hair and leaned back a bit more. "I haven't openly dated anyone since her mother died," he revealed. "Not out of grief, but out of the need to protect my daughter from unnecessary influences." _He didn't grieve for his wife?_ Sookie couldn't help the curiosity that welled at his statement.

"The truth is, there isn't anyone I wanted to invite into our lives until you." His eyes were blazing, open and honest. "Dating me means being a part of her life as well; being appropriate and considerate of a little girl's feelings. It's a lot to take on, especially in a new relationship. If you can't handle that, then we need to renegotiate our terms."

Sookie was floored. She had the impression that Eric was only after her for sex, and she was more than willing to fight him for more. But, the fact that he wanted her to be involved in his life, as well as his daughter's, was an awfully big commitment. Now she felt nervous.

"What are your other terms?" She asked, delaying.

Now the naughty-boy grin came out. "Sex," he purred. "Lots of it." Eric raised his hands to rub up and down her sides, slowly, lingering on each curve. "You're inherently sexual, Sookie. You have a natural sensuality that I can almost smell, and I want to be the one to awaken it in you. I want that honor."

Her pulse raced. She tried to keep a clear head, despite her arousal. This decision was important, and shouldn't be considered lightly.

"I think I can agree to those terms, Eric." She nodded. "Shake on it?"

He shook his head, then cupped her cheeks tenderly. "Kiss on it," he breathed, and opened his lips against hers. It was slow, deep and devastating.

"Oh," he broke the kiss, "one last term."

She narrowed her eyes. Was this some sort of catch? "What?"

Eric was deadly serious. "No games," he stated gravely. "No mind games, no jealousy games, no backstabbing. That's _my_ deal breaker."

His vehemence made her pause. What had happened to him to make him so serious about this? It wasn't in her nature to be less than honest, and game-playing did not allow honesty. Sookie had no problem answering. "Agreed. You have yourself a girlfriend, Mr. Northman."

He smiled again. "And you have yourself a lover, Miss Stackhouse."


	11. Chapter 11

A/N – Wow, Chapter Eleven already. Eleven – one louder. Thanks for all of your support and reviews. I hope that you're enjoying this – I certainly am.

Make sure to check out the Dead Pan Contest. All this creativity floating around prompted me to write an entry. And I'm totally loving the stories posted already – they're a hoot!

As always, credit for these amazing characters belongs to Ms. Harris.

**SPOV**

Sookie was practically vibrating. She was anxiously awaiting Eric's arrival to take her on their second date. She wasn't sure what they were doing yet, but he had told her to dress casually, so she was in khaki shorts, keds, and a sage green v-neck shirt that she thought went well with her blonde hair. She had worn it down, but had a hair tie in her pocket, just in case she got hot.

Sookie was somewhat surprised at how well their first date had gone. She had been nervous about Gran's reaction to Eric, despite her encouragement to go out with him. Gran had really liked Bill, at least until he had cheated on Sookie. Bill had been very courtly toward Sookie around her grandmother, and Gran valued manners and respect. Eric was a different animal, with his flirtation and ornery ways. She just didn't know how Grand would take him.

She needn't have worried. They hit it off like peas and carrots. Gran ate up the flattery Eric paid her, and Eric seemed to relish making the old woman giggle. They had similar sparks of mischief in their eyes by the time Eric had escorted Sookie out the door. Gran hadn't even waited up for her; a sure sign of approval.

Sookie wasn't so easily swayed. She was trying to be cautious with her feelings for Eric. She liked him - really liked him - and knew somehow that her heart was more on the line with him already than it had been with Bill after they had dated for months. She felt a connection with Eric that she hadn't felt before. Like they were kindred spirits, both with a zest and enthusiasm for life. She knew instinctively that Eric would never begrudge her improving herself, would never get embarrassed if she laughed out loud in a movie theater or cried over one of life's injustices. She had felt suppressed by Bill; she felt released by Eric. It was amazing, and scary enough that she didn't want to think about it too much.

Sookie heard a car pull up the gravel drive, and with one last quick glance in the mirror, she ran to answer the knock on the door.

Eric took her breath away. She took in his bare, muscular legs with a dusting of golden hair, olive-green cargo shorts that she just _knew_ hugged his butt to perfection, and a navy blue t-shirt that was snug enough through the chest and arms to make her drool. His blonde hair was brushed straight back in a wind-blown style, probably explained by the top down on his 'vette. He had on black ray-ban shades that could only look good on him and Tom Cruise. He grinned, and she felt a tingle between her legs.

"Sookie?"

"Hmmm?" She continued staring.

He chuckled. "Can I come in?"

"Oh!" She felt embarrassed to be caught ogling. She stepped back and gestured for him to come in, and sighed when he ducked his head slightly when he walked through the door. He was so tall. "Where are we going tonight?"

"To a little place on Black Lake," he responded, looking down at her. "I heard they have the best crawfish around."

"Catfish Charlie's?" Sookie practically squealed. "I've always wanted to go there. It's supposed to be a really cool place on the lake to party."

"So I've heard," he nodded. "I've been wanting to check it out – see what kind of business they do, that sort of thing. I'm still gathering ideas for the bar."

"Well, they're supposed to be packed every night. And it's not the sort of place that accepts reservations. I hope we can get in."

Eric smiled. "Don't worry. I planned ahead."

Sookie's grinned up at him wryly. "I bet you did."

Eric looked around. "Where's your grandmother?"

"She's at a church function," Sookie responding over her shoulder as she walked into the kitchen to grab her purse.

"No Gran?" Eric sounded crestfallen.

"Sorry to disappoint you," she chuckled. "I know how much you love flirting with her." She pulled her driver's license, a credit card and a twenty-dollar bill out of the purse and put them in the pocket of her shorts with her lip gloss. A purse at a place like Catfish Charlie's would just be a hassle. She could fit everything she needed in her pocket.

Sookie turned to leave the kitchen and bumped into a large, solid form. Eric.

His arms slipped around her to reach down and cup her butt. He pressed her against him and bent to place a wet kiss on her neck.

She giggled when his nose nuzzled her. "What are you doing?"

"We're alone," he whispered against her neck. "And you are entirely too tempting in those shorts to pass up."

"Eric," she admonished. "Aren't we going to the lake?"

He was still focused on her rear. One hand slid underneath her shorts to slide along the crease under one buttock. It made her shiver, and remember that Eric had been a perfect gentleman for their first date; holding her hand, pulling out her chair, and depositing her on her doorstep at the end of the night with a chaste kiss. It looked like he was ready to make up for lost time.

"Sookie," Eric mumbled against her neck. "Are these the same shorts you were wearing when we met?"

Since Eric had bent down to reach her rear, Sookie took advantage of his lowered height and wrapped her arms around his neck. She leaned in to put her lips to his ear. "Yes," she breathed seductively.

She was rewarded with Eric's groan and his mouth moving to hers. They kissed passionately, hungrily, rubbing their bodies against each other. Sookie knew that she was going to sleep with Eric; she awaited the moment eagerly. And she didn't want candlelight or clichés. She wanted it hot and sweaty and like nothing she had ever experienced, and she knew Eric could deliver. She hoped it was tonight.

_Or now,_ she thought, as his hands swept up to cup her breasts. _Now would be good._

**EPOV**

Eric didn't think he could hold back. He had not intended on taking Sookie here, in her grandmother's kitchen, but he didn't think he could stop himself. He was impatient, and hungry for her. He knew she deserved slow and gentle, but every time he was around Sookie, he found himself wanting to devour her whole. She brought out an animalistic instinct in him, and all he wanted to do was possess her.

Eric's hands roamed over Sookie's breasts, delighting in the feel of them through her thin shirt and bra, rubbing his thumbs over her pebbled nipples. He wanted to bite them, to lick them until he had her screaming underneath him. He reached down to them hem of her shirt, grasping it so he could pull it over her head.

And then he felt a buzzing in his pocket.

Little Eric screamed at him to ignore it. _Dear Christ, ignore the phone and it will go away! _But the parent in Eric knew he had to answer it, just in case Hadley or Mrs. Fortenberry needed him.

With a groan, he broke away from Sookie. Seeing her standing there, confused, with her mussed hair and lips bee-stung from his kisses just about undid him. She was his to take tonight – he knew it.

"Sorry, Lover," he whispered, and touched his lips to hers briefly before pulling out his cell phone and glancing at the screen to see who was calling.

"Christ!" he swore, and touched the phone to answer it. "Pam, it is _not_ a good time."

He heard her smooth chuckle down the line and it grated on his already strained nerves.

"Tell me I interrupted something," she laughed.

"I'm hanging up," Eric warned.

"Wait!" he heard her call, and raised the phone back to his ear. "You asked me to wait in this dive bar for you – you'd better get your ass here before they stop letting people in the door."

So Sookie was right. The place was popular. "It's that crowded?"

"Yes," Pam was obviously annoyed. Maybe the clientele wasn't quite up to her standards. _Good!_ Eric thought spitefully. "And some band is getting ready to play. You'll probably actually have to pay to get in."

"Poor Pammy," Eric mocked her. "Are you all alone and bored?"

"Bored yes, alone no." He could hear her smug smile down the phone line. Figured. Pam could pick up a date in a confessional.

"We'll be there in about thirty minutes," he assured her, and ended the conversation.

Eric eyed Sookie with reluctance. "We have to go. Are you ready?"

He was amused by her scowl. "I _was_," she growled, then moved past him to head to the front door. _Hmm_, his girl got testy when she was denied pleasure. _Good to know_.

Eric got to enjoy the view of her amazing ass as she stalked away from him out the door.

/ & /

Catfish Charlie's was as busy as described. After paying the cover charge, Eric looked across the crowded bar to find Pam. It was situations like these when his superior height was an advantage. He spotted Pam easily, at a table near the side of the dance floor, and grabbed Sookie's hand to lead her there.

When they arrived at the table, Eric was not surprised to find the soccer-mom brunette from Merlotte's at the table with Pam. The brunette hopped out of her seat to hug Sookie.

"Eric, this is my friend, Amelia," Sookie introduced them, raising her voice over the racket of the patrons. Luckily, they had arrived while the band was on a break, or they wouldn't have been able to hear each other at all.

"Amelia, this is…"

"I know," Amelia grinned up at him. "Hot daddy Viking."

Did he hear her correctly? "Pardon?" he dipped his head lower.

Amelia started laughing. Whatever inside joke it was, Sookie did not appear to be happy about it. She had turned beet red.

"Sorry," Amelia giggled. "You're Eric. I know. Pam has told me so much about you."

Eric shot a look at Pam, who shrugged nonchalantly.

Sookie and Amelia started chatting, so Eric sat down next to Pam.

"How's the band?" he asked.

She looked at him drolly.

"That good?" he chuckled. "Come on, Pammy," he threw her arm around her shoulders. "Relax and enjoy yourself."

She turned to smile at him, menacingly. "You owe me for this 'market research' scheme of yours. You could have told me you just wanted to get into the babysitter's pants."

"And you would have helped me?" his tone was skeptical and knowing.

"No," she answered, "but I would have had more respect for you."

Eric chuckled. He was in such a good mood, and the night showed promise, despite Pam's bad attitude.

"So, with regard to the market research, what do you think of this place."

Pam sneered. "It's dirty, it's smelly, and there's about a million things I would do differently." She sniffed. "However, it's obviously very popular, and very profitable, judging by the cover charge and lack of amenities." She looked around, studying. "I think there are some aspects we can incorporate."

Sookie finally sat down next to Eric. Dissatisfied with the distance between them, he scooted his chair closer to her, and then stretched his arm across the back of her chair. Sookie shifted in her seat so that her back brushed against his fingers.

_Hmmm_, he thought. Apparently she was over her earlier fit of temper and was ready to play. Eric felt himself rising to the challenge.

The waitress came around and Amelia took the liberty of ordering shots of tequila for everyone. Eric got a juvenile thrill at watching Sookie lick salt off the back of her hand. Maybe he could convince her that the next drink should be a body shot. Then he would have the chance to lick the salt off her neck and bury his head in her cleavage. Or maybe they could…

"SOOK!" Eric was distracted by a booming male voice calling his woman's name. He looked to see some blonde guy grab Sookie in a bear hug.

Eric was seething. Who was this punk who thought he could touch Eric's woman? Worse yet, Sookie hugged him back.

"I thought we might see you here," Sookie was grinning. She was expecting to run into this clown?

Eric studied the interloper. He had that short blonde hair, and was tanned as if he worked outdoors. He wasn't as tall as Eric, but he was muscular in a way that Eric would never be due to his height. He grudgingly admitted to himself that the man was very good looking.

By this time, Amelia had run around the table to give the guy a hug, and he felt Pam stiffen next to him. Eric glanced at her, and saw the speculative look in her eye while she studied Amelia and the man.

"Oh Jesus, Pam," he groaned. Eric knew that look meant she was thinking _threesome._ "Just don't ever include Sookie in your sexual escapades."

"Possessive, are we?" Pam smiled at him.

Eric turned to look at Sookie, taking in her animated expression and voluptuous body. The more he knew her, the more beautiful she became. "Yes," he stated, very definitely.

**SPOV**

Sookie tried to pay attention to her brother's ramblings, but she really wanted to focus on the man sitting next to her. She felt his fingers play with the hair hanging down her back, and she turned to look at him. He was scowling.

Leaving Amelia to listen to Jason, she turned to Eric. "What's wrong?" she asked, concerned.

Pam leaned over Eric to answer for him. "Someone is pissing on his territory, sweetie."

"What?"

"Pam," Eric growled. "Inappropriate."

Suddenly, Sookie realized what was happening. "Eric, are you _jealous?_"

Pam started laughing.

Sookie couldn't help the smile that spread across her face, but quickly realized that Eric was not amused. When he saw her smile, he started to stand up.

"Wait!" She stopped him with a hand on his hip. Sookie remembered very quickly that Eric didn't tolerate games, and she didn't want to give him the wrong impression.

She stood quickly and wrapped her arm around Eric's waist. "Jason," she called to her brother. "I'd like you to meet Eric Northman. Eric, this is my _brother_, Jason."

"Hey man," Jason nodded, and they did the whole masculine handshake thing. She could see the two of them taking each other's measure. It was ridiculous. Jason wasn't ever protective of her, unless it affected him in some way. He was very handsome, had slept with just about everyone in Renard Parrish, and was extremely self-absorbed. It was typical of him to not even notice she was there on a date. He must have been responding to the testosterone Eric was giving out.

"So, Sook," he went back to ignoring Eric. "I'd better get back to my date."

"Who are you with tonight, Jason?" Amelia grinned. Amelia was somehow immune to Jason's charm – probably because she had heard so much about him from Sookie.

"Oh, Selah Pumphrey," he answered Amelia, and then leaned close to his sister. "Hey Sook, see if you can put in a good word for me with the blonde hottie you're sitting with, okay?" He kissed her on the cheek and walked away.

_Selah Pumphrey?_ _But, that's Bill's girlfriend. What the heck is she doing with Jason?_ Sookie and Amelia looked at each other with wide eyes, taking in the implications. Jason did not go out on a date with a woman without some sort of physical reciprocation. If Jason was there with Selah, either they had already had sex, or they were going to that night.

"So that's your brother?" Eric asked casually.

"Yeah," Sookie nodded, still dazed. She registered Eric's non-approving harrumph, and then sat down in her chair.

She abruptly realized that she had the ultimate way to hurt Bill and Selah for being so awful to her. Sookie would have heard if they had broken up – everyone wants to tell an ex-girlfriend her ex-boyfriend's business – but she had heard nothing. Which meant Selah was cheating on Bill, and he didn't know about it. She could expose them and hurt Bill.

Suddenly, she didn't care anymore. Sookie turned to Eric, who had a questioning look on his face, and smiled so brightly she could feel her face stretch. She didn't want to mess with Bill, or Selah. She was happy, with herself and the direction her life was heading, and with her new boyfriend, the most handsome Eric. Her happiness was the best revenge.

Sookie leaned forward and kissed Eric, pouring her sudden euphoria into the kiss.

Eric, being Eric, deepened it, sliding his hand to her cheek and tilting her head so that his tongue could slip inside her mouth. He turned the kiss into something fiery and deep. Sookie forgot where they were and lost herself in him.

The sudden start of the band playing broke the spell, and Eric pulled his mouth away to rest his forehead on hers.

"Lover," he whispered, and she saw the heat and passion in his eyes. "I can't wait to get you home."

"Why wait?" she smiled. A thrill ran through her at the sudden tension in his body. She leaned in close to him, placed her hand on his thigh and brushed it up and down his muscular leg.

Eric grabbed her hand, leaned over to whisper something to Pam, and then stood. He pulled Sookie with him through the crowd and out the front door.

_Are we really leaving now?_ Sookie was amazed. She had been flirting with Eric, but didn't really expect him to take her out of the bar.

They stopped so Eric could say something to the bouncer at the door, and then Eric led her out into the parking lot. He was walking slightly ahead of her, so she had the chance to ogle him more. He really was amazingly gorgeous.

Sookie was so caught up in staring at Eric's butt that she didn't notice when he led her to the back of the parking lot, away from the lights and along the wooded property line. All of a sudden, she found herself pressed up against the back of a minivan, and Eric's hips thrusting into hers.

She couldn't help the whimper that escaped as she felt his erection grind against her. She bent one knee and rested her foot on the van's bumper, opening her legs so his could nestle further inside. Eric's hands swept under her shirt to pull down her bra, freeing her breasts. She felt a jolt right down to her center as he rolled her nipples between his fingers.

Eric's head lowered, his mouth hovering over hers, but he didn't kiss her. He reached out the tip of his tongue and touched her upper lip, licking it with light strokes while his hips continued to grind and his fingers worked her breasts. It was hot and naughty and made Sookie feel out of control. Her hands reached to grip the ass she had been admiring and pull him harder against him. Their panting breaths mingled as they aroused each other.

"God, Sookie," Eric swore, "I want you so fucking much."

She reached out her tongue to touch his. "Take me," she pleaded.

Eric tilted his head and deepened their kiss. The wet slide of his tongue against hers made her yearn for another part of him inside her, possessing her. She hitched up her leg to wrap it around his hip, yanking him closer to her.

Eric's body pinned hers against the van, and she reveled in the feel of their bodies pressed so tightly together. She wanted him inside her. _Now_.

He pulled back, and her leg dropped to the ground. "Eric," Sookie moaned, and slid her hands up the inside of his shirt, brushing against his pebbled nipples and eliciting a groan from him. She felt Eric's hand glide down her stomach to the wetness below, and almost screamed when he rubbed the little button of nerves before slipping one finger inside her. She closed her eyes, losing herself in the incredible sensations he was creating.

She felt her shirt raise and the hot, moist air on her breasts before his mouth closed down around one nipple. He sucked and licked, his movements frantic but thorough, before moving on to the other breast. The air hitting her wet nipple was almost as arousing as his attention, and she felt like she was going to explode. Her hands gripped his head at her chest, and her breath hitched as he inserted another finger inside her.

"Please," she begged, "please, I need you. I need you inside me."

Eric's fingers pulled out of her and she almost cried at the loss. She felt him fumble with something at his waist, and then felt his erection, smooth and hot and naked, sliding against her folds. He used one hand to rub it against her, slicking it with the wetness of her arousal and driving her higher with each stroke.

"Yes," she breathed. "Inside me. Yes!"

She felt Eric's motions falter, and she gripped his arms, her nails digging in. When he stopped completely, she opened her eyes.

Eric was staring through the window of the van to the parking lot beyond. "Fuck!" he groaned.

Sookie suddenly registered the sound of her name being called by someone in the parking lot.

"Fuck. Fuck. FUCK!" Eric was obviously very angry as he reached down to tuck himself back in his shorts and zip them up.

Sookie heard footsteps approaching, and quickly realized how exposed she was. She tucked herself back in her bra and pulled down her shirt. She went to take a step and almost tripped. Eric reached out a hand a caught her.

She looked down and realized her pants and underwear were around her ankles. _When did that happen?_

Eric moved to block her from view as the footsteps got closer.

"Sookie?"

_Jason!_ What the hell was he doing looking for her out here? She hurried her movements.

"What do you want, Jason?" Eric growled. He obviously was not too happy about being interrupted.

Jason's voice became harsh. "I want to see my sister," he demanded.

Sookie zipped up her shorts and stepped around Eric. "I'm right here. What do you want?"

She saw instantly that Selah Pumphrey was wrapped around Jason, and currently eyeing Eric. Sookie bristled. He was _hers_, and she didn't appreciate Selah looking at him that way.

Selah gave Sookie and Eric an appraising look. "Jason," she chuckled. "I think we interrupted something."

Sookie glared at her. Darn straight they interrupted something. And Sookie was not a happy camper.

Jason puffed up his chest. "Were you messing with my sister in a _parking lot?_"

"Oh drop the big brother act, Jason." Sookie rolled her eyes. "What the heck do you want?"

Jason gave one last glaring look at Eric before turning to address his sister. "We were leaving, and I wanted to tell you that I can't take Gran to her doctor's appointment on Monday."

Sookie's anger spiked. "What? Jason, you promised her. I'm working that day, and you told Gran you would take her."

"Something came up," Jason's wry smile, and his arm around Selah, told her just what had come up on Jason's schedule.

It was so typical of her brother. He thought only of himself. "Fine," she sighed. "I'll rearrange my schedule and take her."

She felt Eric's warm hand rub her back. It soothed her more than she could say.

"Great!" Jason was oblivious. "You're the best, Sookie. See ya later."

It was Selah's smirk that made Sookie respond. "Selah, I'll tell Bill you said hello."

There was fear and hatred in Selah's eyes as she turned and left with Jason.

"Why on earth would you talk to Bill about that woman?" Eric's voice was gruff, but she had a feeling it was more from what they had just been denied than from the idea of her talking to Bill.

"I won't," Sookie assured him. "But she doesn't need to know that."

"Hmm," Eric studied her with his eyes narrowed. "Remind me never to cross you, Lover."

Sookie stood on her toes to reach Eric's mouth and give him a long, lingering kiss. "Don't cross me," she whispered.

Eric groaned as she pressed her body into his. "I'd better get you back inside," he took her hand and started leading her across the parking lot. "You deserve better than our first time being up against a minivan in a parking lot."

Sookie couldn't help her disappointment. She had enjoyed their little moment; it had been exciting and wicked. She didn't want to go back to a boring old bed and missionary style again.

But then she looked up at Eric. He let go of her hand to reach around and caress one cheek of her butt, giving her a look full of mischief, hunger and promise. Who was she kidding? It could never be boring with this man!


	12. Chapter 12

A/N – These are Charlaine's characters, but my fantasy.

For those of you tuning in after finding this story linked on Twitter, thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy.

For those of you linking this story on Twitter, let me offer you a drink of gratitude. I'm serving tequila tonight – with lots of lemon.

**EPOV**

Eric didn't think he could stand one more minute of waiting. They stayed long enough at Catfish Charlie's to satisfy Sookie and Amelia, and then he and Pam were both eager to get out of there, probably for the same reasons.

Eric had spent the time wisely, though. The few slow dances he had enjoyed with Sookie showed him that they moved _very_ well together, and allowed him the chance to set the mood with a few tantalizing and scandalous touches.

Now, after a quick stop at the liquor store in Bon Temps, they were on their way to his house. Hadley was spending the night next door again, so they would be alone.

Eric felt guilty about allowing his daughter to spend so much time with the neighbor, but both Hadley and Mrs. Fortenberry seemed to enjoy their time together. Hadley was a handful, but she behaved for Mrs. Fortenberry, and the interaction seemed to make the woman feel young again.

As Eric drove, Sookie was silent in the passenger seat. He could feel the tension pouring off of her; whether it was anxiety or anticipation, he wasn't sure. But he knew, whatever it was, Sookie was his tonight.

He pulled the car into the garage, and they both walked silently into the house. Eric carried a brown sack, and set it on the counter. He took Sookie by the hand and led her into the living room.

Eric pushed the coffee table out of the way, clearing a large space in front of the couch. He took pillows from the couch and chairs, and tossed them on the floor. Then he turned to Sookie.

_Definitely nervous_, he thought, and then slowly smiled at her. The anxious look in her eyes softened, and then sparked as he slipped close to her, brushing against her body.

Eric brought his hands to her face, and rubbed her bottom lip with one thumb. He leaned down and lightly touched his lips to hers, with not even enough pressure to call it a kiss. It was more a mingling of breaths, intense and expectant.

"Relax," he breathed, as he felt her hands rest at his hips. He kissed her then, still soft, and almost chuckled when he pulled away and felt her lips trail after his. She was ready for him, for this. She had just forgotten for a moment. He was happy to remind her.

But first, Eric wanted to fulfill a minor fantasy that had been taunting him all night.

"Sit," he told her, indicating the cozy area he had created on the floor. "I'll be right back."

He saw some apprehension in her eyes as he pulled away and walked into the kitchen. He wasn't worried; he knew she would enjoy this as much as he did.

Eric grabbed what he needed from the kitchen, quickly slicing a lemon and grabbing the bottle out of the paper bag.

Sookie had settled on the floor, still not totally comfortable, but curious enough to wait him out. He angled a side table closer to them and set down his supplies.

"What is that?" she asked, speaking for the first time since they had entered the house.

"Tequila," he replied.

"I know _that_. I do work in a bar, you know." There was a pause. "Are we drinking shots?"

He smiled at her. It was the smile he knew made her wet. "Yes…body shots."

"Body shots? What are those?"

He gave her a mischievous look. "I thought you worked in a bar."

She rolled her eyes.

Eric poured a shot of tequila in a small glass, grabbed a wedge of lemon and a shaker of salt. He settled on the floor facing Sookie.

"Hold these," he handed her the items, and then grabbed her legs and slid her to him. He sat her between his legs, not quite on his lap, with her legs thrown over his hips.

"Put this in your mouth," he demanded, and was pleased to see the spark of lust she felt at the order. He placed the lemon wedge in her mouth, rind facing inward. He couldn't resist giving the lemon, and her lips, a quick lick.

Eric took the salt shaker from her hand and leaned forward to run his tongue slowly up the side of her neck. She shivered.

He sprinkled some salt down her neck, the moisture from his tongue causing it to stick.

"Hand me the glass," he requested, and she complied. Eric regarded the amber liquid lustily, and then looked at the woman before him; a woman ripe for the picking. He was going to enjoy the fuck out of this.

"To you," he toasted, and raised the glass to gesture. Eric leaned forward again, and sucked the salt from Sookie's neck, savoring the taste of her mixed in the spice. He took his time, making sure he caught every grain, before leaning back to swallow the tequila. The alcohol was smooth and trailed fire down his throat.

Then he moved his mouth toward Sookie's, sucking the lemon and her lips, running his tongue over both in a devastatingly erotic kiss.

When he pulled back, the lemon was in his mouth, and Sookie looked dazed. The fruit and alcohol complemented the woman perfectly.

Eric licked his lips. "Delicious," he purred. Then he leveled his gaze at her. "Your turn."

**SPOV**

_Jesus Christ Shepherd of Judea_ she had just soaked her panties. Sookie had felt a crazy shot of lust when he had ordered her to put something in her mouth, but the way he had licked the salt off of her, and then sucked the lemon from her lips, made her feel like a gourmet meal he was intent on devouring. She had never been so intrigued and aroused.

She watched Eric pour another measure of tequila into the glass. She eyed the long column of his neck, her mouth watering.

Eric handed her the salt shaker, stuck a lemon in his mouth, and raised an eyebrow. He was waiting.

It occurred to Sookie that this man, who was entirely capable of railroading her with his superior sexual expertise, routinely placed control into her hands. He empowered her. It was a gift, and one that Sookie was too smart to refuse.

_I mean, really,_ she thought, _how many women wouldn't want to dominate, and be dominated by Eric Northman?_

With renewed determination, and a great deal of enthusiasm, she took the shaker.

Sookie scrambled to her knees and straddled Eric. She could feel the growing hardness in his shorts as she rubbed herself against him, teasing him. He growled a warning, and she knew she was doing something right.

Sookie gave him a coy smile, and then leaned forward to put her mouth to Eric's ear. She traced her tongue lightly along the rim of his ear before sucking on his earlobe. She was rewarded with his sharp intake of breath.

She fisted his shirt in her hands, and whispered in his ear. "Take this off."

Seconds later, the shirt was gone, and Sookie was running her hands over Eric's muscled chest. She kissed slowly down his neck to the juncture at his shoulder, and then ran her tongue back up in a smooth motion. She took the shaker, and sprinkled salt down Eric's neck. When she dipped her head to lick his nipple, he hissed.

"What was that for?" he asked, taking the lemon out of his mouth.

"Some salt spilled down your chest," she said, totally straight-faced.

She saw a ghost of a smile cross his lips. "I wonder how much is in your cleavage right now?"

"Too bad you didn't find out," she answered saucily.

"Who says I won't?" he countered, and Sookie's desire sparked.

"Put the lemon back in your mouth," she ordered, "so I can do my shot."

"Yes ma'am," he grinned, and complied.

Just to torture him, she moved her hips over the ever-growing bulge in his pants, and rubbed her breasts against his chest. She saw the promise of retribution in his eyes before she leaned into him and slowly licked the salt off of his neck.

He handed her the glass, and she swallowed the liquid. It burned, but Sookie liked tequila, and liked their playtime even better, so she didn't mind the warmth spreading down her throat and into her belly. She ran her tongue over her lips, and then rubbed sensuously against Eric, grinding into his lap, exciting herself in the process. It was reminiscent of their first night together in this room, and she knew he was thinking about it as much as she when his hands came up to palm her breasts.

His hands reached around to undo her bra, and then he removed it and her shirt in swift movements. Sookie arched her back as his hands caressed her breasts, holding them, weighing them, brushing his thumbs across her nipples.

Eric bent his head to kiss them, but seemed to suddenly realize he still had a lemon in his mouth. With a growl, he thrust his mouth at hers, forcing her to take the lemon so he could move on to more erotic pursuits.

Sookie reflexively bit and sucked the lemon when she felt Eric's hot mouth enclose on one erect nipple. As he moved on to the next, she threw the lemon toward the side table and buried her hands in his hair. Sookie tilted her hips, rubbing herself against him as he suckled her. When Eric's mouth returned to hers, she tasted tequila and lemon and lust. Their tongues danced, stroked, and raised their passion to a fever pitch.

Sookie felt Eric's muscles bunch as he lifted and rolled her onto her back on the floor. Quicker than she imagined possible, he divested them of their remaining clothing, and he settled between her open thighs.

She felt a thrill at the sinuous power of the man on top of her, and wrapped her arms around him, clutching at him while kissing every inch of skin she could reach. When she sucked on his collarbone, she heard him groan and his hips flexed into hers.

_Dear God_ she felt his erection brush her core, and she almost came. Sookie eagerly wrapped her legs around him, lining their bodies up perfectly, and she felt the tip of him enter her.

They both froze.

Sookie had a moment of hesitation, of clarity, to consider in the importance of taking a new lover, and then Eric was working his way inside her.

Despite her wetness, he was large and wasn't able to slide right in. He used short, slow strokes to work his way inside, each movement a tease for both of them. Sookie didn't think she could be more turned on than she was, but then her body relaxed and he slid all the way in.

They both moaned at the sensation. She felt filled, more completely filled than she had ever felt before. He was so large, she thought it would be painful, but Eric knew just how to stroke, how to move to give her the most pleasure. He changed his angle slightly, and suddenly his steady, deep thrusts were hitting something inside of her.

Sookie lost it. "Yes!" she screamed, and clawed Eric's back. The orgasm was more intense than anything she had ever felt, and it went on and on as he continued thrusting into her.

**EPOV**

It was all Eric could do to keep from exploding. He caught one glance of the woman below him writhing in ecstasy and he had to start reciting the multiplication tables. Eric was determined to give Sookie the experience of her life, and that meant he couldn't let it end yet.

As her screams died down to whimpers, Eric lifted himself off of her, wincing at the feeling of leaving her sweet body.

She looked up at him, about ready to cry. "What are you doing?"

"I promised you something other than missionary," he panted, raising up to his knees, and then drawing her up off the floor. "And I keep my promises."

He directed Sookie to face away from him, her legs straddling his, and slowly lowered her down to sit in his lap. With one hand, he guided his still-hard erection into her. This time there was no resistance, and the long slide inside made them both moan.

He could tell Sookie felt a little awkward. This was new to her, but Eric was confident her sensual side would soon surface. To ease her, he kissed her shoulder, her neck, and turned his head to kiss her mouth.

"I don't know what to do," she whispered against his lips.

"I do," he assured her, and flexed his hips to move in and out of her. "Relax. Trust me."

He felt the nervous tension leave Sookie's body. She became more pliant, more soft in his arms. _Perfect_.

Eric took her hands and directed them up around his neck, causing her back to arch slightly. He spread his knees slightly, causing her legs to open further, exposing her to the air. He knew this would make her feel slightly vulnerable, but that it added to the excitement of the moment. Now her breasts and the heat between her legs were readily available to him, to his touch.

Eric kissed Sookie's neck, and then lightly sucked her earlobe as he began to thrust into her with short, shallow strokes. She moaned her compliance. Eric brought both hands around her to cup her breasts, moving to rub her nipples with his palms periodically. Sookie's hips began to move in unison with his thrusts as she got closer to her release.

Eric felt like he wanted to be inside of her forever. She was intoxicating, and although he wanted his own release more than any he could remember, he didn't want the moment to end, it was so exquisite. He wanted to feel her coming apart around him again.

Eric slid one hand down her body to the heat between her legs. He stretched out his fingers and could feel himself sliding in and out of her. With her moisture on his fingers, he moved upward to caress the little bundle of nerves. Sookie's breath hitched and she cried out. He continued rubbing her, firmly, as he felt her pussy clench around him, signaling her orgasm.

He absorbed every moan, every cry, every sob and delighted in her pleasure. When her cries started to die down, he started thrusting deeply, powerfully, until she hit another peak. And then he couldn't hold out any longer. Clutching her breasts to hold her to him, he thrust harder and faster until he reached his own release.

Sookie was limp in his arms. He curved his back to rest his forehead against her back, panting. He had never experienced something so profound, so mentally and emotionally exhausting. Sookie was by far the best fuck he had ever had. She created odd tender feelings in him, and he couldn't stop from placing small, sweet kisses up her back and shoulders. Her head lolled back on his shoulder as he kissed her neck lingeringly.

A slight shift in her hips made him aware of some post-coital sensitivity, and he reluctantly pulled out of her. They both groaned softly at the loss.

With arms that felt like rubber, Eric picked Sookie up and laid her down on the floor. He couldn't help but stop and stare. Her naked body was glistening, and a rosy glow spread up her chest and through her face. Her hair was tousled, her eyes were slumberous, and a faint smile graced her lips. She was breathtaking.

Eric leaned down to place a gentle kiss on her swollen lips. "Be right back, lover."

He walked to the downstairs half-bath on shaky legs, and quickly cleaned himself up. It was while he was wetting a washcloth for Sookie that the thought hit him like a ton of bricks.

_FUCK!_ They hadn't used protection. What the _hell_ was he thinking? Eric stared at himself in the bathroom mirror, and ran a hand over his face. He had never made that kind of mistake. Even when he was married, Eric had continued using condoms. Felicia had been paranoid about pregnancy and was unable to take the pill. He didn't mind later, because he had begun to doubt her faithfulness.

But now? What would he do if Sookie got pregnant? He had no idea how she felt about the idea of having kids. He thought Hadley had said something about Sookie wanting to be a teacher. That meant she liked kids, right? Eric closed his eyes and shook his head. He just couldn't go through having a child with an unwilling mother. Not again.

His steps were heavy as he returned with the washcloth to the living room. Despite his misgivings, Eric's gaze softened as he gazed upon Sookie again. He was developing feelings for this beautiful, spunky woman. He just hoped their new relationship wouldn't have to face huge challenges so soon.

Her eyes were closed, and her breathing told him she wasn't far from sleep. "Sweetheart," he said softly, "I brought you something to clean you up."

She opened her eyes with a smile, and blushed as she took the washcloth from Eric. He obligingly turned his back as she sat up and used the cloth. Then she stood and grabbed her shirt, pulling it over her head. Eric had already donned his shorts.

He took a deep breath, and thought about how he needed to do this.

**SPOV**

Sookie couldn't help but stare. Even after getting her fill of Eric, she still found her eyes roaming over his body, her hands aching to rub his chest.

She had just experienced the most overwhelmingly amazing physical moment of her life, and she was still lusting after him. Incredible.

Eric sat on the couch and pulled Sookie into his lap. She laid her head on his shoulder and cuddled against him, pleased that he wasn't pushing her away, as Bill had tended to do.

_Quit comparing them, s_he scolded herself. _There's no comparison!_

"Lover," she felt Eric kiss the top of her head, his lips lingering. She adored it when he called her that. And now she really was his lover in truth.

"Hmm?" she hummed pleasantly.

"There's something we should probably talk about."

_Uh oh!_ She tried to stop it, but she could feel herself stiffening in his arms. A statement like that never boded well. Could she pretend she was asleep already?

"I want you to know that I'll stand by you, no matter what," Eric's deep voice was stern.

_What the heck is he talking about?_

"But if it's not what you want, and you want to," he paused, "_end_ it, I'll understand."

Sookie's gut clenched. Was he trying to break up with her? She just had the most incredible, freeing sexual experience of her life, and he wanted to break up? This was horrible. This was embarrassing. Was she that bad at it? Sookie replayed the night's events in her mind, trying to figure out what went wrong, to assure herself that Eric had enjoyed the sex too.

"Sookie?"

She was frantic, trying to remain calm. She was an adult, and if he didn't want her anymore, then she could survive. She was just thankful it had happened now, instead of months from now. Better to know before her heart was involved and could be broken.

Although this didn't feel too good either.

She took a deep breath and lifted her head to look at him. She tried to school her features to be polite and distant, but wasn't sure she succeeded. "If you want to end this," she gestured between the two of them, "then I'll have to understand. But I want to go ahead with it."

Eric looked astonished. "Sookie, do you think I would break up with you when you're having my baby? What kind of man do you think I am?"

_Wha…huh?_ She shook her head, trying to clear it. "Baby? Eric, what are you talking about?"

"You being pregnant," he stated.

This made no sense. "I'm not pregnant."

His voice gentled. "Lover, how do you know? We didn't use any protection."

Realization dawned on her, and she started to giggle. Suddenly, she couldn't stop. He thought she was pregnant, and was swearing to stay by her side, no matter what she chose to do.

_How sweet!_

Eric's brows lowered, and he started to look decidedly grumpy. "Sookie, I don't think this is a laughing matter. We could be in a serious situation here."

It made her giggle more, and he finally stood up, exasperation in his every move.

"Stop," she grabbed his arm, trying to catch her breath and get a hold of herself. "Eric, wait."

He stood, looking down at her with a scowl on his face.

"You're so sweet," she smiled at him. "But there's no need to worry. I'm on the pill."

She saw his shoulders rise as he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Boy," she shook her head, "I've never seen someone so sure of having created a baby."

Eric sat back down on the couch, running a hand through his tousled hair. "I guess I jumped to conclusions."

"Yeah," Sookie nodded, giggling again. "I think you were about to drag me out crib shopping."

"It's just that," Eric paused, thinking, "I've been through a situation in the past that made me a little cautious."

"Did you get some girl pregnant?" Sookie asked.

"Yeah," he nodded. "My wife."

She was confused. "Wasn't that a good thing?"

He nodded his head. "For anyone except Felicia. She kept putting off the idea of kids, saying we were too young, we were too busy…and I agreed with her. I had just opened my second nightclub and we weren't doing so well in our marriage at that point. It wasn't a great time to start a family."

"But Hadley happened?"

He smiled. "She sure did. I was thrilled. We had been using birth control, and still our little girl was conceived. I felt it was meant to be. Felicia was not so happy."

"What happened?"

"Like I said, our marriage wasn't doing so great, and we had actually talked about separating. Felicia wasn't happy about the pregnancy. It turns out, she really didn't want children, but didn't want to tell me. But then she got pregnant, and she saw having a baby as a way to keep us together."

Sookie could picture it: an eager Eric, pleased to be a father, and staying with a woman to make it work.

He continued. "She did okay during the pregnancy, but refused to have anything to do with Hadley after she was born."

"She abandoned her?"

Eric agreed. "Essentially. She refused to touch her, hold her, bond with her…she completely ignored every cry or coo. I thought it was post-partum depression. I had to stay home to care for Hadley, because Felicia wouldn't. She went to a psychiatrist, and it wasn't PPD. She just didn't want a child."

Sookie was horrified. She couldn't imagine ignoring a baby, especially her own. "Did you separate?"

"No," Eric was lost in the memories. "She threatened that she would take me for everything I had, including Hadley, if I tried to leave her. I kept hoping, foolishly, that she would come around. I mean, who can deny a baby?"

Sookie nodded her agreement emphatically.

"But she did. I stayed home to take care of Hadley, and tried to give her the freedom she seemed to need."

_Then what?_ Sookie thought. "How did she pass, Eric?" she asked softly.

"Car accident," Eric relayed mechanically. "She had been out late and lost control. No other car was involved, thank God. And Hadley was too young to remember her mother."

"There are little blessings in everything," Sookie whispered.

Eric seemed to snap out of his reverie. "My point is that, no matter what happens, I would stand by you, Sookie. But I really don't want you to go through a pregnancy if you didn't want to be a parent. And no matter what, if things weren't right between us, I wouldn't be in a romantic relationship with you for the sake of a child. I've learned my lesson there."

There were depths to Eric she had never realized. He was sweet and honorable, despite his mischievous and naughty personality.

"I wouldn't want it any other way," Sookie assured him. "There are things that are important to me too, and I wouldn't want to give them up or compromise on my principals."

"You've got a career in mind, don't you?" Eric pulled Sookie into his arms.

Sookie snuggled right in. She felt at home. "Yes. I want to be a teacher."

"Any particular kind?" Eric's hand ran slowly up and down her arm.

"High school, preferably," she answered. "But there's going to be an opening at Betty Ford Elementary next year, and I'm hoping I have a shot at it. I think it would be a great step to get started." Eric's hand started wandering down Sookie's side, down her thigh, and back up again.

"Hadley goes there," Eric informed her.

"Really?" Sookie was starting to be distracted, as Eric's hand wandered further. But for some reason, he kept talking.

"She really enjoys it," he murmured, placing light kisses across her cheeks and down her nose. "What subject would you like to teach?"

"English," Sookie answered after a minute, while her hands started moving on him.

Eric's lips found their way to his, and he kissed her deeply, flaming her passion. "Why English?" he asked after breaking the kiss.

"I love to read," Sookie said hurriedly, moving to straddle him on the couch. Eric started kissing her neck.

"What do you like to read?" he nibbled a path to a particularly sensitive spot behind her ear.

Sookie was getting annoyed at his distracting questions. "Listen Eric," she ordered, gaining his full attention. "I like that you're interested in my life and all, but shut up already. Now's not the time."

"Yes, Miss Stackhouse," he managed to smile, before she attacked him.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N – Thank you for reading and reviewing!

As always, these characters belong to Charlaine Harris.

**EPOV**

Eric opened the door to his room slowly, softly padding in on bare feet and studying the woman tangled in the sheets.

He hated to wake her. She was probably exhausted. After their amazing experience downstairs, they had come up to his room to repeat it twice more through the night. Eric didn't normally gorge himself on pleasure, but he just couldn't seem to get enough of Sookie. And he certainly didn't hear her complaining.

_Not unless 'please more' is complaining,_ he thought smugly.

Eric sat down on the edge of the bed reached out one hand to brush Sookie's hair back from her face. He was reminded of their age difference when looking at her, so young and peaceful in repose. He had a moment of wondering if Sookie was too young for a more serious relationship. He had realized last night in the crazy pregnancy discussion that she was the same age he was when Hadley was born. In retrospect, Eric might not have been ready for all he had faced during that time in his life, but Sookie seemed more levelheaded that he had been, and infinitely more stable than Felicia.

He felt a pang of guilt in thinking about their conversation. He hadn't told Sookie everything about his marriage and Felicia. But he didn't see any reason to tell all the painful, sordid details. That time was over, and there was no reason to rehash everything. He had a feeling Sookie was his future, and he would choose his steps carefully to reach his goal. He could be ruthless in pursuit of what he wanted.

Leaning closer to Sookie, Eric held out the coffee mug he had carried in with him and wafted it under her nose. Second later, she showed signs of life. He had a moment to enjoy the view as she rolled over onto her back, exposing her glorious front. He frowned to see the faint rash across her breasts, from his stubble, no doubt. Eric traced his fingers softly over the delicate skin, memories of the time his mouth devoted to the area running through his mind. His pants were starting to get tight when she moaned and arched into his hand. His gaze darted to her face, and he was just in time to see her slumberous blue eyes open.

"Are you moaning for the coffee, or my touch?" He asked ruefully.

She smiled. "Both."

"Hmm," his voice was gravely as he leaned down to give her a lingering kiss. "Good morning, lover."

"Morning," she blinked.

"You look good enough to eat," Eric practically growled, raking his eyes over her nude body. He was suddenly unconcerned about the rash. He knew he could kiss it better.

His body tightened almost painfully as he saw her respond to his words, her body flushing, her back arching, and her eyes turning passionate. She was magnificent, and everything he had hoped she would be. It was an added bonus to the night to watch her blossom under his encouragement. She was most certainly discovering her sensual side.

"So, are you gonna?" she offered him a sly smile, stretching her arms above her head.

Eric's vision blurred. "Gonna what?"

"Eat me."

He swore Little Eric lunged for her. His cock had literally surged inside his pants at her words. Discovering her sensual side? Hell, Sookie was rocking her sexual power, and they were both loving every second of it.

He started to reach for her, but the coffee sloshing on his wrist reminded him.

"Lover," he purred, "I would enjoy nothing more than to lick and suck every…" he licked his lips, "…single…" he raked his eyes over her body to linger on the heat between her legs, "…inch…of your body, but we're going to have to save it for later."

"Why?" Eric was pleased to hear the almost-whine of disappointment in her voice.

"Because," he smiled indulgently, "my daughter is on her way home right now."

"WHAT?" Sookie flew out of the bed and frantically ran around the room, searching for her clothes.

Eric calmly set the coffee mug down on the bedside table and grabbed her by the arm. He pulled her in close to his body and kissed her deeply, one hand in her mussed hair. She instantly stilled, and then melted in his embrace.

"Relax," he murmured against her lips. "We have a few minutes. Just not enough to devote ourselves to round two."

She smiled. "You mean round four."

"Round four?" he teased. "Woman, you're insatiable!"

"It's your fault," she giggled. "You've created a monster."

"I didn't create a monster," he shook his head. "I unlocked a door. You're the insatiable creature who was hiding behind it."

With tenderness, he kissed her again, and experienced a thrill when she took control over the kiss, nipping at his lips and slipping her tongue inside to slide against his. Oh yes. He had definitely unlocked a door.

She had him to the point where he was convincing himself that he had enough time to pleasure them both when she pulled back and walked toward the mug of coffee. "Where are my clothes?" she asked.

_Down boy_ he told himself, and struggled to concentrate. "Oh, they're in the dryer downstairs. They should be done."

She looked at him funny. "You washed my clothes?"

"Is that a problem?"

"No," she shook her head. "Just unexpected. I don't know many men who would willingly wash clothes."

Eric chuckled. "I don't know if I'm willing, but if I don't do laundry, it doesn't get done. Hadley's not old enough to be trusted with the washer or dryer yet."

"Good point," she agreed. Eric grabbed a robe out of his closet, and handed it to Sookie. She put it on and, with a fond and lingering glance at the bed, they headed downstairs.

**SPOV**

She had just pulled on her shorts and hung the robe up in the laundry room when she heard the front door open.

"Daddy! I'm home!" called a young, sweet voice. Then the patter of little (growing) feet sounded down the hall into the kitchen.

"Hey baby," she heard the warmth in Eric's voice as he greeted his daughter. Nothing was sweeter than a daddy and his daughter. "Did you miss me?"

"Nah," Sookie heard Hadley say, and struggled not to giggle.

She listened for a moment to their simple conversation, nervous about announcing her presence. Stepping out of the laundry room meant committing to their relationship, acknowledging it to Hadley and everyone else. It felt safer to stay in the laundry room.

Sookie took a deep breath. _I might as well face the music_, she thought, and stepped into the kitchen.

Hadley didn't notice her at first, but Eric did. He shot her that award-winning smile, and she just about melted. Gathering her courage, she walked over to the island and leaned against it.

"Hi Hadley," she said cheerily.

The girl spun around, eyes wide. "Sookie!" Hadley ran to her, and threw her arms out for a big hug.

Something in Sookie was thrilled that Hadley remembered her, and seemed to like her. But she knew they weren't out of the woods yet. Liking your babysitter and liking the woman your father is dating are two very different concepts.

"Sookie, are you babysitting me today?"

"Nope," Sookie shook her head. "I'm here visiting."

"Me?" Hadley was amazed.

"No," Eric strode to Sookie's side and placed a kiss on her cheek. "Me."

Somewhat nervously, Sookie watched for Hadley's reaction.

And was amazed to see a look of glee cross her face. "I knew it!" she screamed. "You're Dad's new girlfriend!"

Sookie blushed. She couldn't help it. She hadn't quite labeled them in those terms, and Eric had never used the word girlfriend. Then again, "lover" probably wasn't the most acceptable label to use around an eight-year-old.

"Dad," she grinned at Eric. "You're Sookie's boyfriend!"

"Well," Eric smiled indulgently. "I don't think I'm quite a 'boy', but I guess you could say that."

"Yes!" Hadley did a fist pump in the air. "No more skanky ho's."

"What?" Sookie and Eric both exclaimed. _Did she just say skanky ho?_

Eric closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Where, Hadley? Just tell me where."

Hadley looked abashed. "Pam," she squeaked. Eric growled.

Sookie wasn't sure what the exchange was all about, but she had a feeling she didn't want to be Pam anytime soon.

And when did Eric date skanky ho's?

"So Sookie," Hadley continued, blithely ignoring her father's dark mood. "Where's your car?"

Sookie froze. _Fudge!_ What was she going to say? She couldn't tell Hadley she had spent the night! Her mind was blank.

"I gave her a ride." Eric answered.

"Oh," Hadley continued on merrily.

_Really?_ She looked at Eric in amazement. It was that simple?

Eric saw her expression, smiled and leaned down to whisper. "The trick is to give simple answers, and don't say more than you have to. Kind of like if you were being cross-examined."

_Oh!_ That made total sense. Sookie hoped it came with practice. And she had a feeling she had better start practicing around Hadley. The girl was pretty smart.

"So, what are we doing today?" Hadley asked, as Eric began to pull food out of the refrigerator to fix breakfast.

Sookie had to take a moment to appreciate that Eric Northman, sex god, was cooking her breakfast. She sighed, and then turned her attention back to Hadley. "Whatever we do, I have to run home for a minute."

"Why?"

Sookie had another blank moment. _Why would I have to run home if I just came from there? Crap!_

Eric answered for her, his head still in the fridge. "She forgot her purse."

"Oh," Hadley smiled.

Sookie was going to have to practice this stuff. Maybe with Jason or Amelia. "What do you want to do, Hadley?"

Hadley's expression turned sly and Eric groaned. "Sookie," she smiled sweetly, "do you like to shop?"

A/N – Go read and vote in the Dead Pan Contest - http:/www. fanfiction. net/u/2231715/Dead_Pan_Contest (remove the spaces). You won't regret it – there are some awesome stories there!


	14. Chapter 14

A/N – Thanks for tuning in! Please enjoy…

And thank you to Trixie09 for providing some very important canon information!

For those of you reading BDB, there's a tiny bit of inspiration thrown in here.

These characters belong to Charlaine Harris.

**SPOV**

The week passed by in a blur. Sookie had a ball shopping with Eric and Hadley last Sunday. Hadley was such a girl, and in the time Sookie spent with her, she was reminded of her own trips to the mall, glitter lip gloss and slumber parties. Hadley was a girly, glittery ball of enthusiastic energy, and it was hilarious to watch Eric try to assimilate.

At first, Sookie had wondered if Eric was allowing Hadley to dress him up and cart him around for the benefit of getting in good with his girlfriend. But, judging by Eric's resigned expression when Hadley wrapped a feather boa around him in a teeny-bopper costume jewelry store, Sookie was pretty sure Eric had done this before. More than once. He really was an exceptional father.

And Hadley was really growing on Sookie. She recognized that she was quickly passing a point of no return, for both father and daughter. They were cementing themselves in her heart, and her attachment to them was deepening as time went on. If things were to end between her and Eric in the near future, she was pretty sure they would all be heartbroken.

Whoops! She should probably count Gran in on that as well. Gran had met Hadley when they stopped to pick up Sookie's purse (and do a quick clothing change), and the two had really hit it off over a mutual love of caramel sauce and sundaes. Sookie knew Gran would be disappointed if things ended with Eric as well.

Sookie finished folding her laundry and put everything away. It was Sunday night, and she had spent part of Saturday with Eric and Hadley. Unfortunately, she and Eric hadn't had much alone time in the past week, what with her work schedule and his building schedule. They had managed to carve out a very memorable lunch date in Sookie's car behind an abandoned office building in Shreveport. A "nooner", she believed it was called. Her skin warmed as she remembered how inventive Eric became when faced with the dilemma of obtaining leverage with his large body in her tiny car. The man worked miracles, that was for sure.

Now, she was killing time until his nightly phone call. It was a habit they had developed, and one Sookie really adored. She had worried at first that their relationship was mostly physical, but they were learning more about each other with every conversation, and she thought that the cement of a relationship wasn't just sex, but a mixture of sex and those every day connections and conversations.

And sometimes they had phone sex. That was a whole heap of fun.

Due to thinking about the nooner and the phone sex, Sookie's skin was flushed when the phone finally rang. She rushed to pick it up, and answered with a sultry, "Hello?"

"May I speak to Ms. Sookie Stackhouse, please?" a prim and matronly voice inquired.

"Yes," Sookie almost stuttered. "This is she."

"Ms. Stackhouse, this is Mrs. Garfield, principal of Betty Ford Elementary. I have received your letter of interest in becoming a part of our staff, and I was calling to offer you a temporary position."

Sookie's heart jumped. A staff position at the elementary school? This is what she had been dreaming about. "I'm thrilled, Mrs. Garfield." Sookie hesitated. "But, you do know that I don't have my bachelor's degree as of yet. If I double up on classes, I should be able graduate by next spring."

"Yes, Ms. Stackhouse," came the starch reply. "I am aware of your education status. However, we have recently been made aware of a teacher forced to take a sudden leave of absence, and we find ourselves without a sufficient substitute. There is a shortage of available persons with your education and immediate availability."

Sookie sucked in a breath.

Mrs. Garfield continued. "You come highly rated by several members of the community, including Mrs. Fortenberry and Mr. Northman, by whom I believe you have been employed to care for his elementary-aged daughter."

"Yes ma'am," Sookie replied. _Eric knows about this?_

"The position would not begin until the fall, and would be held during school hours. Would you be available to do this, in light of your school schedule?" 

"Yes ma'am," Sookie assured her. "I could take some classes in the evenings through the fall. Plus, I would have to complete my student teaching quarter in the winter."

"I would be happy to supervise you for your student teaching requirement, if you would complete it here at Betty Ford." Mrs. Garfield offered magnanimously.

"Thank you, Mrs. Garfield," Sookie gushed. "That would be wonderful."

"You're quite welcome, Miss Stackhouse." She stated. "I believe that it would behoove this school to invest in your future, as it is your intention to continue with us and become a permanent part of our staff. This substitute position could be a probationary period to determine if you are a good fit for us and for the children."

"I'm honored you thought of me, Mrs. Garfield." Sookie thought her smile could probably be heard through the telephone.

"We take an interest in seeing our own graduates succeed," Mrs. Garfield assured her. Mrs. Garfield was the wife of a Methodist-Episcopal minister, had been principal of Betty Ford Elementary when Sookie had attended, and had a mind like a steel trap. She remembered every kid, and every good or bad thing they did while attending her school.

"I must caution you, Miss Stackhouse," the woman's voice grew stern. "There was an _unfortunate incident_ involving a teacher's improper involvement with a parent that necessitated the teacher's leave, and our requirement for a substitute."

Sookie's mind buzzed. She had not heard any gossip about a teacher and a parent. She wondered who it was.

"We at Betty Ford Elementary hold propriety in the upmost regard. I remember you from your time here at my school, Miss Stackhouse, and I am acquainted with your grandmother. I trust that you will continue to operate under the decency and decorum you were taught here. If you are not able to do so, I am afraid that our association with you would have to end." There was a significant pause. "Do I make myself clear, Miss Stackhouse?"

Behave like a spinster teacher from the 1800's and avoid scandal. "Yes, Mrs. Garfield."

"Wonderful. I will be in touch about completing the necessary paperwork."

"Thank you, Mrs. Garfield, for this incredible opportunity." Sookie couldn't help but say. "I won't let you down."

"See that you don't," was the prim reply.

**EPOV**

When Eric found his eyes wandering toward the driveway for about the twentieth time, he groaned aloud. Ever since Sookie had called and asked to stop by the bar's work site, he couldn't help but watch every car that drove by. When it wasn't her yellow Nova, he almost growled in frustration.

Jesus, he had it bad for this girl.

"Jesus, you have it bad for this girl," Pam said derisively. "Why don't you just wrap a collar around your neck and hand her the leash?"

"Shut it, Pam," Eric turned away from the site trailer's window to scowl at her.

She wore a smug smile that made Eric's teeth clench. "The Great Northman, in love with the babysitter."

Eric scoffed, but something clenched low in his gut. "Love? Who said anything about love?"

"Honey, you don't have to say it. It's written all over your beautiful face."

Eric heard the sound of a car, and couldn't help but look out the window. _Damn. Not her._

Pam laughed at him. "What color leash would you like?"

"Pam," he voiced a low warning, "you'd better shut your trap."

"Personally, I always thought you looked delicious in blue. It matches your eyes."

It was on the tip of his tongue to remind her of a certain humiliating night she had with a flamenco dancer and a jar of peanut butter when he saw a flash of yellow out of the corner of his eye. His heart jumped. She was here.

_Dear Christ, maybe I am in love with her_. The thought made him pause; kept him from running out to meet her. Maybe he should just slow down and take things easy.

Eric watched long, tanned legs appear from out of Sookie's old car. She had on cutoff jean shorts and a tank top, and her long blonde hair was swept back in a messy ponytail. Eric could see the tie of her bikini top peeking out at the nape of her neck. She must have been sunbathing. The vision of Sookie in a bikini made his mouth water.

"Drool much?" he heard Pam mutter, but Eric wouldn't be distracted from watching his woman.

He saw her look around the construction site, wondering which way to go. And then something in him hardened as he saw Alcide approach her.

Alcide Herveaux co-owned the construction company that was building Eric's bar. Alcide was a large man, almost as tall as Eric, with broad shoulders and a messy mop of black curly hair. He was young, maybe in his late twenties, and appealing to women who liked the handsome, manly-man type. Eric had liked him immediately. He had a way of cutting through bullshit, and always delivered on time, as promised. That was a feat of epic proportions when dealing with a contractor.

But now? Right now, he hated the man.

Eric was not a jealous man by nature. Admittedly, women did not normally choose someone else over him, and even then he couldn't bring himself to care. Felicia had loved the jealousy game, until she realized it was not an emotion that stirred Eric. So this sentiment he was experiencing, this jealousy, made him feel raw and exposed, and he didn't like it one bit. He was starting to realize that his feelings for Sookie transcended what he had felt for anyone before, including Felicia.

"Hmm," he heard Pam drawl, "I always thought Sookie seemed liked the type to go for a construction worker."

Eric took a deep breath, his eyes never leaving Sookie and Alcide. He tried to ignore Pam, but she knew how to draw blood.

"And Alcide _is _pretty hot, with his tight Levi's and work boots. Yum!"

"No vagina, Pam," Eric reminded her, annoyed at the further evidence of the man's attractiveness. Eric took in Alcide's body language as he chatted with Sookie. He was obviously smitten, and why wouldn't he be? He seemed to be charming Sookie as well, if her smiling face was anything to go by.

"Oh, Eric," he could hear Pam's smirk, "you know from personal experience that I don't mind a little dick now and then. Or rather, a big dick, as the case may be."

"Thank you for giving credit where credit is due, Pamela," Eric snarled. "Now, if you want to fuck Alcide so badly, why don't you get your ass out there and jump him? You don't even have to go off the clock."

Her laugh was incredulous. "Are you actually implying that you'll PAY me to fuck Alcide, just to get him away from your girlfriend?"

He watched Sookie place her hand on Alcide's arm, smile at him, and then start walking toward his trailer.

"Time to go, Pam," he turned and grabbed the woman by the arm, shoving her toward the door.

"Wait! Do I get overtime if I need it?"

"Get out!" he roared, and Pam finally scurried out the door.

Eric had a few moments to take a deep breath, willing himself to calm down and not give any indication that he was insanely jealous. He paced around the trailer like a caged animal until he heard the light tap on the door.

He saw Sookie poke her head in. "Eric?"

Faster than he knew he could move, he was grabbing her arm and yanking her inside.

"Eric! What…"

He shoved her back against the door, and attacked her mouth. His kiss was demanding, possessive, full of tongue and teeth and aggression. She froze, and he could feel her shock as he ground his hips against hers. His hands lifted her shirt and bikini top and rubbed her breasts, plucking her nipples in what he knew would be part pleasure, part pain.

Eric was out of his mind. He wanted to mark her, to rub his scent all over her so that any other male would know she was his and stood to face his wrath if they so much as looked at her.

When Sookie still hadn't responded, he had a moment of sanity to wonder if he was scaring her. Then suddenly, she attacked him.

Sookie fisted her hands in Eric's hair and pulled, exposing his throat to her mouth. She bit and licked and sucked with ferocity. Eric cried out in triumph at her response. He yanked her shorts and underwear down her hips, pulled his erection free of his pants, and then grabbed her thighs to wrap her legs around his waist. With one forceful thrust, he impaled her.

They froze for a moment, panting, looking at each other. Eric felt something primal at the lustful, possessive look he saw echoed in her eyes. He loved her. _Dear Christ_, he did, and there was nothing that could ever change it. Waves of tenderness swamped him, and he bent his head to kiss her softly.

_Fuck!_ He drew back suddenly at the sharp sting of pain. Stunned, Eric brought up his hand to wipe it across his mouth. There was blood. She had fucking bit him.

He looked at her, and saw the animalistic triumph in her eyes. This was no simpering miss who would meekly take whatever Eric dished out. This was his mate, his equal – and she would not back down from any challenge he presented. He felt excitement surge at the thought and felt his dick grow impossibly harder inside of her. Eric thrust his hips forcefully and saw Sookie's whole face flush with the same excitement.

He braced her back against the door and he began to piston his hips, quickly, steadily, filling her depths at every thrust.

Her one hand continued to fist in his hair, as her other wrapped around his shoulder to dig her nails into his back through his shirt. He felt her breasts bounce against him and the slap of skin on skin as he thrust inside her. He could tell she was close to her orgasm by the whimpering sounds she was making and the sensation of her clenching around him as he moved in and out.

When Sookie closed her eyes and rolled her head back against the door, he knew she was about to come. So was he.

"Look at me!" he ordered, and she complied, her eyes blazing. He had the honor of watching them cloud over with pleasure as they both cried out their release.

Still panting, Eric slowed his hips to a stop and rested his forehead against hers. He closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of his woman in his arms, the strain of the muscles in his ass and arms from the rough sex. Maybe he shouldn't have treated her that way, but he had to admit that a very large part of him was thrilled at her response.

Gently, he removed Sookie's legs from his waist and set her down. He pulled up her shorts to cover her, and then tucked himself back in his pants. She was pulling her shirt down and straightening up her clothes when she met his eyes.

Surprising him, she laid her hands on his cheeks and pulled him down to her. With the tip of her tongue she licked his bottom lip, sending another shot of lust to his groin.

"You're still bleeding," she whispered.

"Apparently, my girlfriend likes it rough," he grinned, even though it pulled on his lip.

"Sorry," she kissed him gently.

"Don't be," he insisted. "I liked it."

"Me too," she blushed. After all that, she actually _blushed_.

He was definitely in love.

**SPOV**

To say she was overwhelmed would be an understatement. She never knew sex could be so hot.

Sookie had to admit that she didn't think she would be a fan of being overpowered. Her previous sexual experience had taught her that it was stifling to only be able to do what the other person wanted. She had hated not being able to do or ask for what she desired.

But this type of overpowering? This animalistic, rough, exciting, Eric-type of overpowering? She would take this any day.

Sookie still couldn't believe she had bit him - and hard enough to draw blood. But, then again, Eric hadn't seemed to mind. In fact, it had excited him.

_Hmm_, Sookie thought. That was the second time she had bitten him, and received similar reactions. Maybe Eric was into biting? It was something worth thinking about.

Sookie snapped herself out of it. She was on a mission, after all.

"Eric," she smiled at him, as he took her hand and led her to the small, worn couch in the work trailer. "I wanted to thank you."

"Lover," he smiled that naughty grin. "You don't have to thank me. I enjoyed it just as much as you did."

Sookie laughed, she couldn't help it. Sometimes the man was so full of himself. "No," she said, "I wanted to thank you for whatever you said to Mrs. Garfield."

"Mrs. Garfield?" He was confused for a moment. "Oh! The principal. Right. So, she offered you the position?"

"Yes!" Sookie squealed. "This is everything I've been working toward. I start in the fall. She's willing to work with my school schedule, and by the time I graduate, I'm almost guaranteed a job."

"That's wonderful," Eric seemed to enjoy her enthusiasm. And Sookie was thrilled that he was happy for her. "Just make sure you graduate – no job is worth putting off your degree."

"Oh, I absolutely agree! I was dearly hoping that I could work at Betty Ford Elementary, but I was prepared to look elsewhere if I had to. School's the most important, though."

"Did you always want to be an elementary school teacher?"

"A teacher, yes. I wasn't set on elementary, but I figured it would be a great way to get started. Once I have a job, I'll probably go back to get my master's degree in the evenings. Then, if I wanted to teach at higher levels, I would be more marketable."

"Sounds like you've got a great plan," he smiled at her.

"Looks like you do too," Sookie gestured outside the window at the building that was being constructed at a rapid pace. "When are you going to open?"

"Hopefully in the fall," Eric's eyes narrowed, and she could practically see the wheels turning in his head. "You wouldn't want to waitress for me part time, would you? We'll need good people."

"Thanks," she chuckled, "but I think I'm going to have my hands full, with school and work. I might even have to quit working at Merlotte's."

Eric leaned over and nuzzled her neck. "But I'd get to see you more often. And I can promise you an excellent benefits package."

"Can't have the boss showing favoritism. What will all the other employees think?"

"They'll think you're the luckiest woman in town, getting to sleep with me."

She laughed out loud. Eric really was outrageous. "How did your head get so big?"

"Come here and I'll show you," he growled, and Sookie squealed as he pulled her into his lap. After a few playful kisses, Eric sighed. "Sounds like fall might be a rough time for us, with how busy we'll both be. Looks like we'll have to sneak in time to see each other."

There was something in Sookie that swelled at this statement. _He still plans to be with me in the fall._

Their quiet moment was interrupted by a knock at the door. Then Pam stuck her head in.

"Is it safe?" she called out.

"No," Eric yelled, as Sookie called out, "Yes."

Pam ignored Eric and walked in. "I waited until after the door stopped thumping. The crew was taking bets on how long it would continue."

_Oh dear Lord_, Sookie could feel her face growing heated and hid it in her hands. Did they all really know what she and Eric had been doing? Eric kissed her head and snuggled her closer. She peeked at him and saw the smug smile lighting up his face.

"Who won?" he grinned. He was loving this.

"I did, of course." Pam said haughtily. "Now, there's business to discuss."

Sookie scrambled out of Eric's lap, even though he tried to stop her. "I'll go on home. You've got work."

"Wait," Eric grabbed her hand. He turned to his co-worker. "Pam, can't it wait?"

"Not really. Alcide has told me that there was a problem with one of the permits, and they need you to meet with the inspector at five o'clock this afternoon."

"Pam, I can't. I've got to pick up Hadley at that time. Her day camp lets out then. She can't stay any later."

"Well, I can't take get her," Pam put her hand on her hip. "I have an appointment to meet with the liquor supplier. It took me months to set up an appointment with her."

Eric raised an eyebrow. "Her?"

Pam just smiled at him.

Eric ran his hand through his hair. "We'll just have to reschedule the inspector."

Pam shook her head. "We can't. It would put us months behind."

"Eric," Sookie got his attention. "I can pick up Hadley."

She felt him study her, considering. And then felt strangely rejected. "I can't do that, Sookie."

"Why not?" she asked, puzzled.

"Eric," Pam spoke softly, gently. She walked to him and placed her hand on his arm. "It would be okay." Pam leaned close to Eric, and Sookie thought she heard her say, "It's not like before. Sookie is different."

_What was that about?_ Sookie wondered at their bizarre behavior.

She watched Eric take a deep breath, and run his hands through his hair again. Then he seemed to come to a decision. He turned to face Sookie, and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"You don't have to do this."

"I know," she nodded. "I'd like to. I enjoy Hadley. She's great!"

He looked deep into her eyes. Jeesh, maybe Eric was more of an overprotective parent than she had thought. All this over something she had done a million times for her co-worker, Arlene. And why was this so different from when she had babysat Hadley?

After some more intense looks, and some apparent indecision on Eric's part, he finally sighed. "Okay. But let me go over some things first."

He proceeded to lapse into a ten minute instructional on how to care for Hadley, any allergies she had (penicillin), and to make sure that she stayed at Sookie's side at all times. He stressed that one a lot, making Sookie promise to not even get out of the car without Hadley's hand in hers.

Sookie promised, even if that meant she would have to climb into the backseat to unbuckle the girl.

With a big hug, a kiss, and a whispered "don't worry", Sookie left the trailer.

Through the thin walls (_Crap! Everyone probably _did_ hear us making love!)_ Sookie heard Pam's comment to Eric:

"It'll be okay. She's not Felicia."


	15. Chapter 15

A/N- Thank you for reading and reviewing! I hope you enjoy.

And a HUGE thank you to DeeDeeINFJ for beta'ing this, and several other chapters. DeeDee, you rock!

**SPOV**

Hadley liked to sing in the car. Loudly. Off key.

But Sookie didn't mind. The girl had really captured Sookie's heart, with her smart mouth and sassy attitude. She was a miniature of her father.

Eric had called ahead at the YMCA day camp, so picking Hadley up was easy. And she was thrilled to see Sookie. Hadley had hugged Sookie and complimented her so smoothly that when she asked if they could possibly stop to play at the park, Sookie had agreed without thinking. Dang, that girl was smart.

They pulled up to the playground, and Hadley started to unbuckle her seatbelt.

"Stop!" Sookie yelled. Hadley froze. And then Sookie felt a little bit ridiculous in climbing into the back seat to grab Hadley's hand.

Hadley gave her a weird look. It was no wonder. "What are you doing?"

"I promised your dad," Sookie told her.

Hadley rolled her eyes. "Not that again! He's so overprotective."

"He loves you," Sookie smiled at her.

Hadley grinned back, and then in a singsong voice said, "And he loves YOU!"

Sookie's heart jumped. "What? Hadley, you're being silly."

The girl shook her head. "No, I'm not. Dad loves you."

"Why do you think that?" Should she feel guilty about pumping a little girl for information? Nope – absolutely not.

"He smiles all the time around you. And he smiles when he talks about you. And he smiles when_ I_ talk about you. AND he smiles when _other people_ talk about you."

Sookie raised her hands. "Okay, okay, I get it."

"He's really happy. I've never seen him so happy. He loves you."

"Hadley, just because he's happy, doesn't mean he loves me."

"Don't you love him?" she asked, tilting her head in an adorable way.

"Um," Sookie stalled. She had a feeling she knew the answer, that her heart knew the answer, but she had never said it out loud. She thought about Eric, about how he made her feel, and about what an amazing father and man he was.

"Sookie," Hadley grinned. "You've got the same smile on your face that my dad gets."

The smile disappeared. It was true. Sookie loved Eric. "Holy crap! I love your dad!"

Hadley rolled her eyes. "Duh! I could have told you that."

Sookie laughed and reached over to hug Hadley. "Thank you for helping me realize it."

"You're welcome," she said somberly. And then, in a small voice, with her head down, she asked, "Do you love me too?"

"Oh, Hadley!" Sookie exclaimed, and then pulled the young girl into a big hug. "I love you so much! I can't imagine my life without you."

"Really?" Hadley beamed. Sookie had a moment to wonder how this child's mother could have ever turned away from her. She was precious.

"Yes, sweetheart. I love you a LOT!"

"Sweet! I love you too!" and that was the extent of an eight-year-old's excitement about love. "Now, let's go. I've been practicing on the monkey bars, and I want you to see."

Hadley started to open the car door.

"Wait." Sookie grabbed her hand. Hadley raised an eyebrow (_just like her father!)_ and looked at their hands. "Don't ask," Sookie warned. "I promised your dad."

And because the day was turning out to be amazing, they ran together to the monkey bars. Hadley really was very good at them. She said she had been practicing, and had recently been learning how to skip bars. Sookie warned her to be careful, and when some other kids crowded around them, she walked to a nearby bench to stand and watch Hadley.

_I love her_, she mused, amazed. _And I love him._ It all seemed so clear now. She felt a glow when she was around the pair, felt warmth in her heart when thinking of a future with them. But, did Eric love her back? Hadley seemed pretty sure, and she had certainly clued into how Sookie felt. She sighed. She'd just have to wait and see. They had time, after all.

"Sookie."

A familiar voice startled her out of her reverie. She looked to her right, and saw trouble.

"Bill," she sighed. "What are you doing here?"

"I was going for a run, and I saw you standing here." He gestured toward the bike path that ran past the park.

Sookie kept her eyes on Hadley, cognizant of her promise to Eric. "What do you want, Bill?"

He flipped his hair back, in a way that Sookie used to find sexy. What had she been thinking? "Sookie, I've been wanting to see you. There are some things I've wanted to say. I've broken up with Selah."

Why was he telling her this? "Good for you," she muttered.

"I know Selah wasn't nice to you, and I was tired of seeing it happen. So, I have you to thank for opening my eyes about her. And your brother."

Sookie had never made good on her threat to expose Selah's affair with Jason. Apparently, Bill had figured things out on his own.

Sookie found herself tuning him out, concentrating on Hadley. She really was doing very well on the monkey bars. She crossed faster and better than any other kid, in Sookie's opinion. She found it funny that she would have so much pride in Hadley for such a little thing.

"…and I wanted to apologize to you."

That caught her attention, and she looked at Bill. "What?"

"Sookie," Bill stepped forward and grasped her shoulders. "I was a fool for treating you the way I did. You work so hard for what you want, and I never should have tried to hold you back. I was so scared of losing you that I drove you away."

Well, that wasn't quite how it happened, but Sookie could admit that his apology was nice to hear. Had Bill matured suddenly?

"I'll always have love for you, Sookie," he said sincerely.

_Wow_, she thought. For a guy who rarely said the "L" word, that was pretty amazing. If he really had matured, maybe they could finally be friendly toward each other. Hate was so exhausting. Apparently, today, Sookie's cup of love runneth over.

She smiled at him. They did have a history. And he was her _first_. "Well, Bill, there's a part of me that will always love you too." There. Maybe that could be the start of a new, non-hateful relationship. Sookie leaned to see around Bill, looking for Hadley.

"Sookie." The tone of his voice was a warning. Sookie looked at Bill. His eyes had a weird intensity. "I knew you would come around eventually. Now we can be together." And then, he kissed her.

_What the fuck?_ Sookie didn't move for a moment, stunned. What did he think he was doing? Had she given him the wrong idea? _I love Eric,_ her heart screamed, and she found the strength to shove Bill away.

"What the hell, Bill?" Her lips rose in disgust, and she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

And then Sookie heard the scream.

With panic natural to any parent, Sookie looked for Hadley, only to find the girl lying on the ground under the monkey bars, holding her arm.

"Hadley!" She had never run so fast in her life. She slid to her knees in front of her. "What happened?"

Hadley couldn't answer. She was crying too hard.

"She fell off the monkey bars," another child answered for her.

Sookie's first aid training fought down her panic. She looked over Hadley, trying to assess the situation. "Hadley," she said in a soothing voice. "Did you hit your head?"

Hadley shook her head, still sobbing.

Sookie didn't see any blood, but quickly took in the way Hadley was favoring her left arm. "Is it your arm?" she asked, for confirmation.

Hadley nodded.

"Honey," she tried to calm the girl. "I need to look at it."

"NO!" Hadley yelled. "DON'T TOUCH IT!"

"I won't! I promise. But I need to see if it's broken, okay? And then we can get some help to make it stop hurting." She continued to speak calmly, firmly, to the scared little girl, until Hadley finally moved her right hand slightly to show Sookie her left arm.

There was a very large bump in her forearm that had no business being there. Yep. Broken. Sookie sent a prayer of thanks that it didn't appear to be a compound fracture, and whipped out her phone to call 911.

A couple of parents helped Sookie move Hadley to the nearby bench, and produced an ice pack and towel. Sookie briefly considered a sling, but didn't think Hadley would allow her arm to be moved into it. She concentrated on calming the young girl down, prompting her to take deep breaths and saying silly things to keep her mind occupied.

When the medics arrived, they quickly came to the same conclusion as Sookie. Hadley was scared to death, and wanted no part of them touching her arm. They decided to load her into the ambulance and take her to the emergency room.

When they tried to get Sookie to follow behind them in her car, Hadley screamed.

"NO! Sookie! I want Sookie!" She was becoming hysterical.

"She'll be okay," the medic insisted. "Just follow us."

Hadley gave Sookie a scared, teary-eyed look, and gripped Sookie's hand with her good arm. There was no way that Sookie could refuse. Hadley needed her.

"I'm going with her," Sookie told the medic, walking with the stretcher toward the ambulance.

"Are you her mother?" he asked.

"I am now," Sookie insisted, and climbed into the ambulance. She held Hadley's hand all the way to the hospital. And made sure she was holding her hand when they got out of the ambulance. Just like she had promised Eric.

**EPOV**

Eric fought to contain his panic. No parent liked to receive a call from the hospital, but he had a particularly bad association with those types of calls. He had received one when Hadley was two, and received another the same night, when his wife had died.

Thank God for Pam. She was with him when he got the call, and totally understood his panic. She offered to drive him, since he was in no shape to drive himself.

Eric didn't even wait for the car to stop in front of the ER doors before he was out and running. He heard Pam call out that she would park and then find him.

He stopped at the front desk. "Hadley Northman," he barked. "I'm here for my daughter, Hadley Northman."

The receptionist took in his wild eyes and frightened face. She put down the clipboard she had picked up to hand to him. In a stern voice, she said, "Calm down. Your daughter's okay. You can go in to see her, but you have to get a hold of yourself, or you'll scare her."

_She's right_, he thought, nodding. Eric took a couple of deep breaths and looked around the room. He noticed a familiar face. _What the fuck is Bill doing here?_

"Good," said the receptionist, when he had himself under control. "I have some forms for you to complete." She raised her hand when Eric started to argue. "But you can see her first. Just make sure to see me before you leave. Hadley is in triage room number four, through that door and to the right."

Eric took off, trying not to run. "Thank you," he called over his shoulder. He found room four, but was stopped by the doctor before he could go in. He almost snarled in frustration.

"Mr. Northman?"

"Yes," Eric nodded.

"I'm Dr. Anderson," the man introduced himself. "I'm treating Hadley."

Eric drew a shaky hand through his hair. "How is she?"

"She's fine," the young doctor assured him. "She has a broken arm. We're just waiting for x-rays to confirm, and then we'll put a cast on."

"So, no surgery? No reactions? She's allergic to penicillin."

"Yes," Dr. Anderson chuckled. "Miss Stackhouse told us. She told everyone within earshot."

Eric felt something in him warm.

The doctor explained the extent of Hadley's injury, and what to expect in the coming days. Then he smiled. "We don't normally allow anyone who isn't family to come back here, or to ride in the ambulance. But Miss Stackhouse was very insistent."

"Yeah," Eric nodded, relieved that Sookie had been with Hadley. "She's a fighter." She had fought for his daughter.

"You've got yourself a good one, there. I'd hold tight to her, if I were you," the doctor winked at him.

Eric had a moment to register just how attractive the young doctor was. "I will," he assured the man firmly. "Thanks."

Dr. Anderson left, and Eric pulled the curtain aside, desperate to see his daughter.

She looked so small and pale lying on the bed with her eyes closed. Eric felt a moment of panic.

"She's just resting," he heard Sookie's voice reassure him, but he couldn't tear his gaze away from Hadley.

"Daddy?" she moaned, opening her eyes.

"I'm here, baby," he whispered, stepping up to her bed. Sookie moved away, letting go of Hadley's hand. Eric grabbed it. "Daddy's here."

"I broke my arm," Hadley said simply.

Eric almost laughed with relief. "What'd you do that for?" he asked, teasing her.

"I slipped," she slurred her words, and then closed her eyes again.

Eric looked at Sookie with concern.

Sookie smiled softly. "They gave her a painkiller. She's been a little out of it."

Eric felt like the world had been removed from his shoulders. Hadley was okay. The reality was starting to sink in. "What happened?" he asked Sookie.

He saw tears well up in her eyes. "It was my fault, Eric," she whispered. "I wasn't watching her close enough, and she fell off the monkey bars."

Eric felt such a rush of love for Sookie. She was feeling guilt over something she couldn't control. Kids fell and got hurt. This wasn't the first time Hadley had been injured.

He shoved aside the memory of another hospital visit as the image popped into his head. This was _not_ the same thing.

"Sookie, it's okay." He reached out to take her hand. "Kids fall, even when you're standing right next to them."

"But I wasn't right next to her. I was standing about twenty feet away." Tears started to fall down her cheeks.

Eric chuckled. "Twenty feet isn't that far. You were still watching her. Trust me, I've been there."

"But…"

Hadley interrupted her. "She kissed him."

Eric turned to his daughter. "What, baby?" Hadley opened her eyes.

"She kissed that man at the park," Hadley slurred. "And then I fell." Her eyes closed again.

He turned to Sookie. "What is she talking about? Is it the painkillers?"

Her tears continued to fall. "No. It's true," Sookie couldn't look him in the eye. "Bill was at the park. He kissed me and then Hadley fell. I wasn't watching her."

Eric grew cold.

"I'm so sorry." Her eyes were full of pain. "He apologized and told me he broke up with Selah, and he…"

"I don't want to hear it." Eric could feel the hardness in his tone. And his heart. He thought of his brief glimpse of Bill in the waiting room, and felt the stab of betrayal.

He thought Sookie was different. He thought she would be good to Hadley, and to him. That she was faithful and honorable. But she wasn't. She was just like Felicia. Eric had no idea his heart could break into so many pieces, or that it would hurt so badly.

"Get out," he turned away from her, back toward his daughter, his reason for living.

He heard her sob, and felt the pain right along with her. He wished he didn't care. He wished his love for her was a light switch that he could just turn off.

"Eric," he heard her plead. "Let me explain."

"No," Eric wanted to roar, but his voice came out a hoarse whisper. "You don't need to explain. I already know." He shut his eyes tight, willing the tears – hers _and_ his – away. "You thought more about yourself, and what was going on your life, than the life you were supposed to protect. You failed her. And you failed me." His words cut both of them. "Get out." His burgeoning rage echoed in his demand. "Now."

It was a tense moment as Eric waited for Sookie to move. And then he heard her footsteps on the linoleum and the curtain swish.

And his lover walked out of his life.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N – Because you readers are so unbelievably awesome, I'm posting a second update this week. I hope you enjoy.

DeeDeeINFJ was the beta for this chapter, and if you haven't read her Eric story yet, you should. Right now. It's a moral imperative.

**SPOV**

Sookie walked blindly through the hallways. She had probably walked past the exit about three times before she finally went back out to the waiting room.

After all, she shouldn't be back there with Hadley. She wasn't family.

The grief and guilt overwhelmed her. Eric had said things she couldn't tolerate, couldn't accept, and it hurt, felt like a thousand needles in her heart, to recognize the truth of his words. She was selfish. She was wrong, and she didn't know how to make it better. It was a bitter pill to swallow, and the fear that she may have already lost the love of her life made her stomach churn and heart break. How could she possibly repair this, how could it possibly end happily when everything was so fucked up?

"Sookie!" Bill ran up to her, and put his hands on her shoulders.

Sookie snapped out of her stupor. "Don't touch me!" she snarled at him, knocking his hands away. "You've done everything to try to ruin my life, Bill. And I DON'T WANT YOU!"

She registered the flash of anger in his eyes, and realized that she didn't fear his retribution. He couldn't hurt her. She was already destroyed.

"Sookie," Bill growled at her. "You belong to me."

"Grow a brain, Dumbfuck," an angry voice called out. Sookie turned to see Pam stalking toward them. Another wave of pain washed over her.

Pam walked up to Bill and grabbed him by the ear. Sookie's jaw dropped. _By his ear!_

"I've had enough of you harassing my friend." Pam was really scary when she was angry. "And if you don't leave her alone, you'll have to deal with me."

"Let go of me, you bitch!" Bill cried out in pain and outrage.

Pam didn't listen, and dragged him by the ear to throw him out the door. She ignored his sputtering and walked steadily back to Sookie.

"How is Hadley?" she asked.

"Broken arm," Sookie managed to say, before she started crying again. "It's all my fault. And Eric hates me."

"Stop crying." Pam handed her a tissue from her purse. In a no-nonsense tone, she demanded, "Explain."

Sookie told Pam about the park, Bill, the kiss, and Hadley falling from the monkey bars. And then, bracing for the worst, she told Pam about Eric's reaction.

"Idiot," Pam muttered.

"I know," Sookie sobbed. "I'm so sorry."

"Not you." Pam rolled her eyes and looked at Sookie. "Well, maybe you, too. But definitely Eric." She led a sniffling Sookie outside and around the corner from the emergency room door to a private area. "What has Eric told you about Felicia the Fuckwad?"

Sookie hiccupped. "About their marriage, and how they weren't getting along, but she got pregnant…"

"Yeah, yeah." Pam made an inpatient gesture. "What about how Felicia died?"

"Car accident?"

"Look," Pam muttered, "I'm going to tell you something that Eric should have told you, but he's too much of an idiot."

"Pam, if it's something he doesn't want me to know, then maybe you shouldn't…"

"Shut up," Pam demanded, and sighed. "You love him, right?"

Sookie nodded.

"And he loves you." Pam shook Sookie when she started to deny it. "He _does_. That's why he's taking it so hard. Because the last woman he loved betrayed him and almost killed their daughter."

Sookie's head snapped up. "What?"

"So you know that Felicia was no mother figure, right?"

Sookie nodded.

"Well, she was a backstabbing bitch as well. I had always tried to tell Eric, but he would never listen. Felicia was desperate to keep their marriage together. She liked Eric's money, and knew she would get nothing if they split; that she would probably have to pay _him_ child support, since she would never have considered taking Hadley with her."

"How did you know this?" Sookie asked.

Pam gritted her teeth. "Sometimes Felicia and I had the same taste in lovers, and she had a big mouth."

"Felicia was with women?"

"Felicia was with everyone," Pam shuddered. "And Eric didn't notice it, because he was too busy taking care of a newborn baby. She would have nothing to do with Hadley – wouldn't even hold her or change a diaper. Eric initially had this grand idea of protecting Hadley, of keeping their 'family' together for her. But he started figuring out that Felicia wasn't marriage or mother material, and Felicia got desperate."

Pam's face hardened, and she continued in a monotone. "Eric had to go to a meeting for about an hour one day. He was selling one of his clubs and had to sign the paperwork. He was going to take Hadley, but she had been sick and couldn't really go with him. Felicia insisted she could care for Hadley; she begged Eric to let her care for her. Eric was reluctant, but he thought that maybe Felicia was coming around, deserved a chance. And, after all, it was only for an hour."

Sookie filled with dread. "What happened?"

"Felicia drove with Hadley to her lover's house. Apparently, she was only running in for a minute, so she left Hadley in the car, asleep. It was July. A second turned into two hours as she snorted coke with her boyfriend. A neighbor came home and heard Hadley's cries. She knocked on the door, but Felicia and her scum wouldn't answer. The neighbor finally called 911 and broke the car window to get Hadley out. She almost died of heat stroke."

"Oh my God." Sookie was horrified.

"Eric had been crazy with worry when he came home to find Hadley and Felicia gone. He finally got a call from the hospital that Hadley was seriously ill and had no parent with her."

"What about Felicia?"

Pam snarled. "The bitch had come outside when the ambulance showed up, gave them Eric's info, and she and the boyfriend ran before the police could arrive."

"What did Eric do?"

"Nothing." Pam smiled with satisfaction. "He didn't have to. Felicia got into a car accident later that night. She and the boyfriend were killed. No other car was involved. Eric found out about the accident while he was at the hospital with Hadley."

Sookie felt numb. How had Eric dealt with all of that? How could he still be such an amazing, incredible man with his zest for life after going through such an ordeal?

As if reading her mind, Pam spoke. "Hadley is the most important person in the world to Eric. The simple fact that he introduced you to her as something other than a babysitter means that he has strong feelings for you. And his allowing Hadley to be a part of your relationship means that he loves you."

Sookie felt the tears rise again. "Not anymore. I fucked that up."

"No," Pam softened. "You didn't. Sookie, you didn't do anything wrong. What happened today could have happened to anyone. You can't help that you have your own fuckwad in your past."

"But Hadley got hurt!"

"It happens!" Pam grew exasperated. "She had to have stitches in her head once when I was watching her. You could tie kids in bubble wrap and they're still going to find a way to hurt themselves."

"But, Eric…"

"Eric should be shot for not telling you about this sooner. Instead, he set you up to fail; he gave you enormous responsibility and expectation with not a whiff of understanding. He's an idiot right now because he's choosing to forget how much he loves you and trusts you, and instead choosing to believe in a misunderstanding while wallowing in his own guilt for marrying Felicia and leaving Hadley with her. Jesus, he's a fuckwad, too."

Sookie's spine straightened. "Don't talk about him like that, Pam. He is an honorable man and an incredible father. He is not a fuckwad."

Pam's eyes narrowed. She studied Sookie. "I'm glad you think so, because you need to fight for him."

"What?"

"If you love Eric, you need to fight for him. No one ever has – not anyone that mattered. You love each other, and you need to show him how much of an idiot he's being."

Sookie shook her head. "I don't know, Pam…"

"Listen." Pam grabbed her shoulders and looked her in the eye. "You have made Eric happier than I've ever seen him, and Hadley too. And they deserve that happiness. You deserve each other." Pam leaned in close. "Would you really allow all that to be thrown away over a misunderstanding?"

"It's more than that, Pam," Sookie argued. "Eric didn't trust me. Not with Bill, and not with telling me about his past. No matter how much I fight for him, our relationship won't be worth anything if he doesn't trust me."

"He trusts you," Pam insisted. "He's just caught up in memories right now. He needs to be reminded. He needs you – just as much as Hadley needs you."

Sookie winced. "Low blow, Pam." She stared at her feet, trying to absorb all that had been uncovered for her. Her brain felt like mush. "I need to think," she said, looking up at Pam. "I need to think about this before I can do anything."

Pam huffed. "Fine. Just don't take too long. I am sick and tired of waiting for Eric's H.E.A."

"What is H.E.A.?"

"Happily Ever After." Pam rolled her eyes. Then she surprised Sookie by hugging her. "You can do it," she whispered. "Don't let me down."

And with one last frowning look, Pam walked back toward the emergency room.

/&/

Sookie was numb. A week had passed since Hadley had broken her arm, and nothing had been resolved. She had called to check on Hadley a couple of times, and Eric had answered her questions as briefly as possible before handing the phone to his daughter. Hadley had certainly bounced back, and had a pink cast on her arm to show off to her friends and accessorize. But Eric had remained cold and distant.

The last time she had called them, Sookie had tried talking to him.

"_Eric, Pam told me about what happened with Felicia." _

_The silence had been immediate and disapproving. "Pam shouldn't be telling things that aren't any of her business."_

_Sookie had pushed on. "You're right, she shouldn't. But someone needed to tell me why you didn't trust me. Someone needed to explain why you condemned me without letting me explain."_

"_I'm not interested in explanations, Sookie," he had said woodenly. _

_And then, Sookie's patience had come to an end. Now she was mad. "Then I'm no longer interested in trying to give one. If I don't mean enough to you for you to listen to me, then you don't deserve my time, and I won't bother you again. I'd like to talk to Hadley, please."_

_There was a long pause, during which Sookie had time to think about her words, and wonder if she had finally gotten through to Eric. Then she heard Hadley's voice on the phone._

Obviously, Eric hadn't been ready to talk about it, and Sookie was done trying. Her "sense of stubborn," as Gran called it, had kicked in and she was done fighting for someone who obviously had no intention of making an effort. If Eric wasn't "interested" in allowing her to explain, then Sookie wasn't interested in explaining.

The man was exasperating. Couldn't he see that they were meant to be together? Couldn't he see that she was strong enough to withstand life's challenges, and would never cave the way Felicia had? She loved that man and his daughter, but if he was too stubborn to see it, then he didn't deserve her.

Sookie glared at the phone, replaying their last conversation again. And then it rang.

Her heart in her throat, she answered the phone.

"Miss Stackhouse?"

Sookie recognized the familiar voice. "Hello, Mrs. Garfield. How may I help you?"

A heavy sigh came through the phone line. "I have an unfortunate situation that needs to be addressed, Miss Stackhouse. I believe I am going to have to rescind my offer for employment."

Sookie's stomach dropped. "What? Why?"

"We had a conversation about propriety, and I believe I made myself perfectly clear with regard to the expectations such a position would require."

"Yes, you did." Sookie was still confused.

"Miss Stackhouse, I received a phone call from a concerned parent, who insisted that she was concerned about your potentially negative moral influence on her child. She said she had observed some salacious public behavior between you and a student's parent. As we had discussed, this is completely intolerable." Mrs. Garfield was obviously in full-on minister's wife mode.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but I believe I need you to clarify. What did this person tell you I was doing?"

There was an embarrassed silence. "The parent stated that she observed you and Mr. Northman engaged in promiscuous behavior in a public…parking lot."

Sookie was mortified. How embarrassing to know someone had seen them. She wondered who it could have been…

Selah! Her son attended Betty Ford Elementary. She had obviously not taken the breakup with Bill well, and knowing Bill, he had probably made it worse by mentioning Sookie's name.

"Mrs. Garfield, I believe I know who said something to you, and I have to tell you that Ms. Pumphrey has a vendetta against me…"

"Miss Stackhouse, did you engage in the behavior with Mr. Northman?"

_Crap_. "Yes."

"Are you currently involved in a romantic relationship with Mr. Northman?"

That one wasn't so easily answered. And the only correct answer sounded horrible. "Sort of."

"Miss Stackhouse, I would like to give you the benefit of the doubt with regard to your reputation and ability, so I will offer you a choice. If you continue a relationship with Mr. Northman, then I will be forced to rescind my offer. If you decide you are not in a relationship with Mr. Northman, then I will consider the position yours with an understanding that this is your last strike. Any additional incidents of even the slightest nature would oblige me to release you."

Sookie's head was spinning. She had to choose between Eric and her dream job?

"You have twenty-four hours to decide," the principal graciously allowed. "I would suggest that you definitively resolve the status of your relationship with Mr. Northman."

"Thank you, Mrs. Garfield," Sookie whispered, "I'll call you tomorrow." And then she disconnected.

_Jesus Christ, Shepherd of Judea,_ could her life get any more complicated? What was she going to do?

"Sookie?" Gran poked her head around the doorframe. "Is everything okay?"

"Oh, Gran," Sookie sighed, and then the tears began.

She cried for what felt like forever, her grandmother holding her through the sobs. She cried for Eric and the horror he had gone through, she cried for Hadley never knowing a mother, and she cried for Felicia never realizing what she had before she died. And Sookie cried for her own broken heart.

When she had calmed down, she told Gran the whole sordid story, leaving out only the more intimate details.

"Well, honey," Gran said. "You sure have found a whole heap of trouble. It's going to take a lot of work to make this one right."

Sookie hiccupped. "What should I do, Gran? Do I fight for Eric and give up my dream job, even though he won't fight for me? Or do I take the job and try to get over him?"

Gran studied her gravely. "Honey, the first thing I would do, if I were you, is to get my head out of my ass."

"What?" Sookie was shocked. She had never heard Gran speak that way.

"First of all, you've taken too much grief from that man. You love each other, and no matter how bruised he is from that poor girl's mama, he needs to give you the benefit of the doubt. And if he can't wake up and see that, then you need to deliver a quick kick to his rear end."

"Gran!"

She held up a wrinkled finger. "Now, notice I said 'kick,' not 'kiss.' Young lady, a very important piece of relationship advice is to begin as you mean to go on. If you kiss his rear now, you'll be kissing it the rest of your lives, even when you're in the right."

"But Gran, he won't even let me explain."

Her grandmother held up a hand. "Relationships, especially marriage, are not easy. If you can't work to get past things, then you'll never succeed." Her gaze softened as she looked at her granddaughter. "And love - true love - is worth the work and worth the risk."

Sookie's head and heart were spinning. "But what about the job? It's my dream!"

"Is it?" Gran asked skeptically. "Is it exactly what you want and how you want it?" She took Sookie's hands in hers. "Honey, you are in a remarkable position of having a choice, where so many others do not. You can choose this job, or you can choose another down the road. It's entirely up to you."

"But what if I choose Eric, and he doesn't choose me? Then I lose the job, too!" Sookie pleaded for her grandmother's wisdom. "What should I do?"

"In my opinion, there's only one question to ask yourself."

"What?"

Gran looked her dead in the eye. "Is Eric Northman, and what you feel for him, worth the risk?"


	17. Chapter 17

A/N – John Mayer is stalking me. I never really noticed him before, but I had a dream about him, and now he's everywhere. I think it's because I used his "sexual napalm" quote in this story. Anyway, his song "Gravity" helped set the mood for me to write this chapter. If you haven't heard it, you should. It's really very good. ("I Love You" by Sarah McLachlan helped too.)

The amazing DeeDeeINFJ beta'd this monster chapter for me. But, I changed a few things at the last minute, so if there are mistakes, blame me!

Thanks for reading my story with Charlaine's characters. I hope we make a good team.

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****EPOV **

Eric felt like he was climbing out of a fog. And all he wanted to do is turn around and climb back in. He didn't want to think. He didn't want to remember. He wanted to grab his daughter and lock them both away in a tall tower, away from the world.

He had the horrible feeling that he had made a terrible mistake.

Sookie had tried to talk to him several times, but all Eric could remember was Felicia's excuses, and how she always had some sort of plausible explanation for her behavior. Eric had been a fool to listen to her, and he thought he would be a fool if he listened to Sookie. But what if the really foolish thing to do was to shut her out?

"Daddy!" Eric snapped from his reverie at his daughter's call.

"Yes, sweet pea?" He walked into the living room, where Hadley had finally given up her sick routine on the couch and was playing with her Barbies on the floor.

"Can I have a candy bar?" She batted her eyes at him. "I think it would settle my stomach."

Eric raised an eyebrow. "Funny how your stomach is upset, but it's your arm that's broken."

"Chocolate is healthy for your body, Dad," she told him, so matter-of-fact. "We learned about it at school."

He snorted. "Small doses of dark chocolate can be beneficial, but a Snickers bar is not healthy. Nor does it settle a stomach." He turned to leave the room.

"My stomach really does hurt," he heard Hadley say gravely.

Eric turned back around, concerned. "Really? What's the matter, sweet pea?"

"I have an icky-yucky feeling."

They had discussed 'icky-yucky' feelings when Hadley had gotten in trouble at school for not turning in her homework. Icky-yucky feelings were the ones that happened when you knew in your heart that you had done something wrong. They were your conscience and your guilt. What was Hadley feeling guilty about?

Eric sat on the floor next to his daughter. "Why do you have an icky-yucky feeling, Hadley?"

Her head dropped. "Because I made you mad at Sookie, and you broke up."

Eric's heart throbbed. "Baby, you didn't do anything." He cursed himself, second guessing himself for introducing Sookie into their relationship; for affecting Hadley that way.

A tear rolled down her cheek. "Yes, I did, Daddy. It wasn't Sookie's fault I fell." Her voice grew softer. "I was skipping bars."

"Hadley!" Eric was surprised. They had a very serious conversation about skipping monkey bars when Hadley had fallen a few weeks back and hit her head. "You know better than that."

"I know, Daddy," she cried. "But I wanted to show off for Sookie. And she was watching me the whole time. She even made me hold her hand before we could get out of the car. It wasn't her fault that I fell."

Eric was relieved to know that his trust in Sookie, at least with regard to Hadley, was justified. But that still didn't explain why she kissed Bill.

"So _now_ will you make up with Sookie?" Hadley blinked her watery eyes at her father.

"Baby, it's not that simple," Eric sighed.

"Why not?" Hadley climbed into his lap. "You love each other."

"Hadley," he shook his head, "where did you get that idea?"

"From you," she insisted, "and Sookie. Sookie told me she loves you."

Something leapt in Eric's stomach. "She did? When did she say this?"

"After I told her you loved her."

At Eric's boggle-eyed look, Hadley nodded. "You do, Daddy. I can tell. And when I told her, she said she loved you back. And me too."

"She loves you, too?" Eric practically whispered.

"Yes," his daughter said firmly. "She's not like my mother."

_And the shocks just keep coming._ "What are you talking about, Hadley?"

"Daddy, I know my mother wasn't a nice person. I've heard you and Pam talking about her when you thought I couldn't hear. I know that she did something bad to me and then she died."

Eric felt horrible. "Baby, I'm sorry. You shouldn't hear that sort of thing."

"It doesn't matter, because I have the best dad in the world. And now I want Sookie to be my mom. I love her. And I know you do, too."

_Out of the mouths of babes_. Could it really be that simple? Did Sookie really love them? Dear God, what about the way he had treated her? Could she ever forgive him? And what about Bill? Sookie had some explaining to do.

He felt little hands touch his cheeks. "Call her, Daddy." Hadley hopped off his lap and handed him the phone. Then she started walking into the kitchen.

"Where are you going?" he asked her.

"To get a Snickers bar," she replied.

"Hadley," Eric said in his best parental tone. "A candy bar won't settle your stomach."

"It's not for my stomach, Daddy," Hadley said. "It's for yours. I think you have some icky-yucky feelings too."

She was too smart for her own good.

Eric stared at the phone, willing himself the courage to dial her number. And then it rang.

"Hello?" he answered, crazy hope swelling in his chest.

"You are an asshole."

Pam. She was blunt, as always. "What do you want, Pamela?"

"I want to kick your ass. Did you know that thanks to you, Sookie lost her job?"

Eric shot to attention. "What?"

"That dumb slut girlfriend of Bill's, Selah something-or-other, complained to the principal that she saw you and Sookie fucking in a parking lot, and the principal told Sookie she had to choose between you and the job."

Eric's mind frantically tried to put together the pieces. "Bill's girlfriend? Why would she care?"

"Bill broke up with her because she was cheating on him with Sookie's brother, and she decided to blame Sookie. I guess she always thought Sookie was trying to steal Bill back."

Eric snorted. He had seen Sookie dismiss Bill. She didn't want him.

And then the fog finally cleared. _Sookie didn't want Bill_. What the fuck had he been thinking? Of course Sookie didn't want Bill. She made it clear any time he came sniffing around her. The dickhead was deluded and thought she would come back.

Could Bill have kissed Sookie against her will that day?

"Pam, how did you know all of this? Have you talked to Sookie?"

"No," Pam clipped. "Amelia called me. Apparently, Sookie is really upset. And now she's lost her job."

"Wait, so she lost her job because of what Selah said? That's ridiculous!" Eric had half a mind to pull Hadley out of that elementary school, if they were going to be so crazy.

"Not quite, idiot-boy," Pam snarled at him. "She lost the job because she was given the choice of continuing a relationship with you or a position at the school, and she chose you."

_She chose me?_ Eric was dumbfounded. "But that was her dream job."

"Yes." Pam used the voice she reserved for people she considered stupid.

"And, I've been a shit to her."

"Yes."

"And she chose me? Why would she do that?"

He could almost hear Pam throw up her hands in disgust. "Because she loves you, you nimrod. Now, what the fuck are you going to do about it?"

Eric had lost all his self assurance, all his confidence. What was he going to do about it?

Pam answered for him. "Get your head out of your ass and beg. Beg long and hard, and if she deigns to forgive you, thank your lucky stars, because she is the best thing that has ever happened to you. Besides me, of course."

Pam was right. Sookie was the best thing that had ever happened to him, and he loved her. If she had given up her dream job for their current non-relationship, then she must love him, too. Eric wasn't too sure about the begging part, but he was positive that he and Sookie needed to end their standoff. And he was more than confident in his ability to get her to forgive him – without having to beg.

"Pammy, can you come over and watch Hadley?"

/&/

**GPOV (Gran's point of view)**

Adele had just picked up her pocketbook when she heard a car coming up the drive. It was that sporty red car that Eric Northman drove.

Someday, she was going to have to ask him to take her for a ride in that thing, with the top part down.

Adele glanced down the hallway, wondering if Sookie was up from her nap yet. The poor girl was exhausted from all the heavy decisions she had to make recently. Apparently, she would soon face another.

_The course of true love never did run smooth_, Adele thought. She stood at the front door, waiting for her granddaughter's love to come up the steps. He sure was a tall drink of water, and very easy on the eyes. If Adele was forty years younger….heck, if she was thirty years younger, she would be chasing that man herself. Her Sookie sure had good taste. The boy loved her, he just had some hard things to overcome, that's all. Had to get his head on straight.

_Maybe I can help a little with that_, Adele thought, as she opened the door.

Eric stood on the front porch, and automatically offered her that charming smile. Adele wasn't having it. She gave him the glare she had perfected after years of marriage, and he hung his head.

She let a long, tense moment pass. Those were especially effective.

"Do you love my granddaughter, young man?" she finally asked him.

Eric's head snapped up. He looked her in the eyes, and Adele could see all the determination and love he felt for Sookie within them. "Yes, ma'am, I do. With all my heart."

Adele put her hands on her hips. "Are you done being a jackass about it?"

That shocked him a little. But he recovered quick, and was smart enough to answer honestly. "No, ma'am, I'm probably not. I plan on convincing Sookie to stay with me forever, but she has some things to answer for as well. And I definitely can't guarantee that I won't be a jackass again sometime during that forever."

It was everything Adele could do to stop from laughing. So this boy thought he was in the right in some way? Oh, she was glad for the advice she had given Sookie. This one was as cocky as a bantam rooster, and she was going to need to be on her toes to deal with him. For a moment, Adele envied her the challenge. What an exciting life her granddaughter would have with his man.

The boy continued his earnest speech. "I can guarantee that I will love her with everything that I am. And I will work to give Sookie her heart's every desire."

_What's the matter with these youngin's today?_ Adele shook her head. _They want their lips glued to each other's behinds._ Adele narrowed her eyes, taking Eric's measure again. Had she overestimated him? The Good Lord save her from idiot kids.

"A piece of advice, young man," she finally spoke. "Some desires are worth more when you've worked for them yourself, instead of them being handed to you. I think your relationship with my granddaughter is one of those."

_There. Maybe that will do it._ She reached up a wrinkled, but strong hand, and patted Eric lightly on the cheek. "She's in her room, taking a nap. You go on back."

Then that boy kissed her. Right on the lips. And Adele had a moment of sorrow, to realize those magical days of first love were forever behind her now. How lucky the young were, and how wasted love could be on them.

"Young man?" she called out, as Eric passed her to head down the hallway.

Eric whirled to face her.

She raised one eyebrow. "I'm going to church, the market, and then to visit some friends. I'll be home late this evening. You understand me?" And then she winked at him.

It was the least she could do, in the name of love. The rest was up to them.

She felt the warmth of his smile. "Yes, ma'am," he answered politely.

Adele headed out the back door. She had the sin of envy to ask forgiveness for, and a prayer or two to pass her granddaughter's way.

**SPOV**

The dreams were haunting her. Horrible images of Eric, of them together and happy, suddenly blurring into nightmares of rejection and loss. Sookie knew, had taken enough psychology classes to understand, her subconscious was trying to work out her wounded feelings. But, understanding why it was happening didn't make her any less tired of suffering day and night. She was done.

Sookie rolled over in bed. Awake from her nap, but feeling no reason to get out of bed. She heard the door slam as Gran left for church.

_Did I make the right decision?_ She asked herself daily. And the answer was always yes. She couldn't believe that Mrs. Garfield would be that stringent, and would force her to make such a decision in her personal life. If she was under such oppression before officially working for the school, what would she experience once she was an employee? No, there were other jobs, and there would be other opportunities. And Sookie was adult enough to admit to herself that she didn't really want to teach elementary school anyway.

So, she was satisfied that she made the decision based on her own goals for her career, and not for any feelings she had for Eric Northman.

_Yeah, right._

Okay, so she was adult enough to _eventually_ admit that a very large part of her still hoped things would work out between them. Sookie snuggled down in her bed and began to daydream about Eric coming to her, at Merlotte's, maybe. He would get down on bended knee, apologize and declare his love for her in front of everyone. She would graciously accept, and they would kiss passionately, Eric bending her over his arm, like that romantic 1940's picture of the sailor and his girl celebrating the end of the war. And then everyone would cheer, and he would pick her up and carry her out of the bar, with Sam calling out that she could take the week off.

She was smiling when her fantasy was interrupted by a knock at her bedroom door.

_Who could that be? Gran's not here._ Sookie got up from the bed, and cautiously opened her door.

It was Eric.

_He's here to apologize! _Her heart leapt. It wasn't Merlotte's, but maybe the rest of her fantasy was about to come true. She schooled her features into a blank mask, not wanting to give away her excitement.

"What can I do for you, Eric?" she said, trying to be aloof. Meanwhile, her whole body felt like it was being pulled toward him, into his orbit. She missed him.

"Sookie." He smiled down at her, melting her further. He reached out a hand to caress her cheek, and she felt the tingle of his touch across her body. His hand slid to the nape of her neck, and he pulled her close to him. Eric lowered his head, and her heart leapt at the idea that he was going to kiss her. Instead, he rested his forehead against hers, seeming to savor their contact, their closeness.

"Lover," he breathed. "I missed you so much."

Sookie almost moaned aloud. This was killing her; the feel of his body pressed against hers, his lips so tauntingly close, his smell – God, his smell! Her whole body ached for his. She touched his cheek, his jaw, his lips.

"I missed you, too," she sighed. It felt so right to be here with him, but something was niggling in the back of her mind. Something important that was trying to break through the sensual haze in which she was drowning.

She felt his lips brush hers, so softly, so sweetly. The nagging thought tried again to intrude, so she closed her eyes and let him kiss her, savoring every touch.

"Eric," she heard herself whisper between kisses, "why are you here?" The sensual part of her brain protested this line of questioning, preferring to touch and kiss. That part was rewarded when she felt Eric's tongue slide into her mouth as he deepened their kiss. _Screw it_, she thought, and concentrated on what Eric was doing to her.

He broke away from her mouth to place warm, wet kisses down the side of her neck. Sookie moaned aloud, and wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him closer. This was the man she loved with all of her heart, and he was here in her arms. It was like a dream.

"I couldn't stay away," he groaned against her neck and he gripped her hair to pull her head to the side, exposing her neck to his ministrations. He placed a particularly devastating kiss in the sensitive area under her earlobe before continuing. "I wanted to give you the chance to explain."

Sookie thought she was going to explode when he bit the side of her neck. But then, the slight pain cleared her mind.

_Wait…what?_ The hormonal haze started to clear. "Did you just say you came here _to give me the chance to explain_?"

The man was oblivious to the tone in her voice. He kept kissing her neck, rubbing his body against hers. "I thought it was the right thing to do. We should be adult about this, after all."

Sookie had always heard the term "seeing red" when someone was angry, but she had no idea that it could actually happen. Seeing red also seemed to include your body stiffening from head to toe.

It was the lack of response that Mr. Sexpot Eric finally recognized as a warning sign. He pulled back, looking down at her, confused. "Sookie?"

It took a minute before Sookie could see through the red haze in her brain to form a response. "You…came here to give me the chance to explain?"

The man was finally starting to realize he was in trouble. He let go of her and took a step back. Smart move.

"Yes," he said, determination in his voice.

Dumb move.

"What," Sookie spoke between gritted teeth, "_exactly_ do you think I should explain to you?"

"Well…"

Sookie was having none of it. "Should I explain how guilty I felt about Hadley getting hurt? Should I explain how much worse you made that guilt, in assuming that I was like your ex-wife and was negligent with your child?"

"Lover…"

"DON'T you 'lover' me, Eric Northman." Sookie pointed her finger at him. "I'm not finished. Should I explain how it felt to find out about your ex-wife from Pam, instead of you? How embarrassing it was that you didn't feel enough for me to confide in me? To trust me?"

"Sookie, that's not what…"

"Quiet, please." The request sounded very teacher-like. "Should I explain about how horrible I felt, and how I many times I called you, trying to talk to you – like an adult – to work out our problems, while you ignored me and pouted?"

Eric stood up straighter. "I did not pout, I…" He stopped when he saw the look in her eye. "Sorry," he said softly. "Please continue."

"Did you come to listen to how my ex-boyfriend is continually trying to ruin my life, and that his girlfriend's tryst with my idiot brother, combined with our uncontrollable lust, cost me my reputation in this town? Or maybe how I had to choose between a job and my relationship with you? And how I chose you, even though you wouldn't speak to me?"

Annoyingly, Sookie felt a tear slide down her cheek. Damn angry tears. "Wait, I know what explanation you're looking for. Now that you've finally assured yourself that I'm not some monster that would abuse your child, you want to make sure that I'm not a slut who would cheat on you with her asshole ex-boyfriend." She took a deep breath, and glared at him. "Well, Eric Northman, if you don't know me well enough to know the answer to that by now, then you don't deserve an explanation. And you damn well don't deserve my love." She turned her back to him, hiding the anger and pain on her face.

"You're right."

That caught her by surprise. "What?" She turned back around to face him.

Eric was nodding. "You're right. I absolutely don't deserve your love. I allowed my past to cloud my future – my future with you. And I'm so sorry for that. I don't have an explanation. Not a good one, anyway. I came here today hoping to charm you back, but you're too important for that."

Eric risked Sookie's wrath by taking a step toward her and grasping her hands. "Your grandmother told me that some things are worth more when you have to work for them. And she's right." Eric shook his head, and Sookie thought she heard him mutter "smart woman" under his breath. "But what she didn't say, was that when you love someone that much, you don't mind the hard work."

Damn Eric Northman for making her melt again. God forbid he ever use his powers for evil. Still, she refused to be a pushover. They had issues to settle. "You're not going to convince me so easily, Eric. How do I know that this won't happen again?"

"What, me being a douche?" He shot her that make-me-wet-my-pants smile.

She couldn't help the slip of laughter that escaped. "Yes."

"You don't know. And I don't know that you're not going to hold this against me for the rest of our lives. We just have to believe in each other, and in our love, to be strong enough to make it through."

There were so many thoughts running through her head, but her heard caught on one. "_Our_ love?"

Eric became exasperated. "Jesus, Sookie! Why do you think I'm here? I love you! I want us to make a life together – a family."

Sookie scowled at him. "Well, how the heck was I supposed to know that? You never told me."

"And I just admitted I've been a douche, didn't I?" He pulled her into his arms and buried his face in her hair.

Sookie savored the contact. This man loved her. He belonged to her, and she belonged to him. So it wasn't her fantasy about his apology in Merlotte's – but it was better. She had a lifetime to keep this man in line. It would be hard work, but as Gran said, the really important things always were.

"You're still an arrogant jerk," she muttered against his chest.

"Yeah," he chuckled. "I know. I don't know if that's fixable. But it can come in handy…"

Sookie thought about Eric's audacity to hit on his daughter's babysitter; to almost fight Bill in her defense; to make out with her in a parking lot; and, sweet Jesus, the body shots… "Yeah, well, sometimes it's okay."

"Sookie." Eric hugged her tighter to him, as if he couldn't bear to let her go. "Tell me," he whispered, pleading. He needed her to say it, and who was she to deny him?

Sookie lifted her head to look him in the eye. "I love you," she told him. "I love you, and I love Hadley, and I want to be a part of your family."

She was rewarded with that beautiful smile. "You're already part of the family, Sookie. I love you so much. "

And then he kissed her. The bend you over his arm, 1940's soldier celebrating the end of the war kiss. Leave it to Eric to fulfill her fantasy.

And then he fulfilled another by lifting her up, his arm under her knees, and sweeping her off to lay her gently on the bed. Here, in her childhood bedroom, Sookie looked up at the beautiful man before her…the man she loved, and the man that loved her in return. Her heart filled, and she realized she was happier than she had ever been.

Eric, as if sensing her mood, eased onto the bed, pulling her against him. He roamed her face reverently, brushing his hand lightly across her cheek, touching her lips. When he looked back into her eyes, Sookie was amazed at the love she saw reflected there.

"I want you to be my forever, Sookie," he whispered. "Will you be my forever?"

"Yes," the words escaped her heart, and breathed past her lips. "I'll be your forever."

He kissed her then, softly and tenderly, the love they felt for each other evident in every touch, every caress. Sookie touched Eric slowly, savoring the feel of his skin beneath his fingertips, the move of his muscles beneath her hand.

They undressed each other, lingering on each portion of newly exposed skin as if it were the first and last time. Sookie clung to him, and when he entered her in one slow, long thrust, she cried out from the pleasure of feeling possessed by him. Eric knew how to touch her, how to bring her to the edge before dropping her over and laying open her heart. And when he finally sought his own release, she kissed him reverently, passionately; telling him wordlessly how much she desired and loved him. And he took them both over the edge again.

In the gentle moments afterward, with the weight of Eric's body on hers, his lips against her neck, their bodies intertwined, Sookie felt tears form behind her closed eyes and softly slide down her cheeks. She savored the feel of him against her, of the vulnerability they offered each other. And she smiled when she felt him kiss the tears away.

/&/

Sookie was walking Eric to his car a few hours later, when she thought to ask him, "What do you think Hadley will say about all of this? About us being together?"

Eric rolled his eyes. "Pam's with her now, so there's no telling what horrible new inappropriate phrases she's learned. I know she'll be very happy, though."

He smiled and then kissed her deeply, sparking passion Sookie thought they had just spent. Twice. _How does he do that?_

"You know that you've agreed to marry me, right?"

Even though a thrill shot through her, she feigned annoyance. "You know you haven't even asked me, right?"

"You told me you'd be my forever." Eric's pout was adorable.

Sookie stepped back, and put her hand on her hip. "Forever doesn't necessarily mean marriage."

Eric growled at her. "It does to me. Especially when there's children involved."

Sookie raised her eyebrows. "Children? As in plural?"

Eric grabbed her, and pulled her back into his arms to kiss her senseless. _Again_. "Yes, plural," his deep voice vibrated against her lips. "I want four more. At least."

She couldn't stop the bark of laughter that escaped. _Four?_ Jesus Christ, Shepherd of Judea, the man had nerve. She was going to spend the rest of her life reigning this man in…and loving every minute of it.

_Begin as you mean to go on_ – more great advice from Gran. "Eric," she managed to push him back to a safe…well, safer distance from the hormones he ignited in her. "If we're going to get married, we need to set up some ground rules here."

She was rewarded with the sight of his muscular arms crossing over that fabulous chest, an excited, yet calculating look, and that one sexy raised eyebrow. "Name your terms."


	18. Chapter 18  The End

**EPOV**

Eric eyed his fiancé from across the bar. She didn't know it, but he had asked Sam if Sookie could leave Merlotte's early tonight. They hadn't had much time together recently, what with her school schedule and his nightclub opening.

Fangtasia was doing well. Pam had convinced him that vampires were all the rage, and a pseudo vampire bar would be excellent entertainment. What Eric had not expected was the number of weirdoes that would patronize the bar. Still, they were well-paying weirdoes, and after only eight months, Fangtasia was operating in the black. If the success continued, Eric was bouncing around some ideas about opening another, more upscale club next year.

Eric's gaze found Sookie's, and he winked at her. The sly smile that spread across her face made his blood race and his pants get a little tight. The minx knew it, too. She eyed the growing bulge in his jeans and blew it a kiss. Little Eric liked to think that was a promise of things to come.

As she directed her attention back to her customers, Amelia sidled up next to him at the bar.

"So, Hot Daddy," she smiled at him. "How's Pam doing?"

"Good," Eric nodded, taking a pull of his beer. "She's been busy, you know – with the club."

Amelia chuckled. "You don't need to make excuses for her, Eric. We weren't exclusive. Just wondering what she was getting into now, and if she'd be interested in mixing it up a little."

He felt his eyebrow rise. "Mixing it up?"

Amelia gestured toward a large man at the end of the bar, eye-fucking Amelia. "That's Tray. He's a lot of fun." Eric had no idea that much innuendo could exist in one sentence.

_Wow._ Pam was in for some excitement tonight. "I think she'll get off…um, get off work around three. She'd probably be interested in meeting your friend." _There. You're welcome, Pamela._

"I'll give her a call," Amelia smiled at him. Then she kissed his cheek. "You're the best, Hot Daddy."

"Hey!" He heard Sookie's voice from behind him, and turned to see her walking toward them. "That's my Viking!" she teased Amelia. "Go get your own."

"I don't need a Viking," Amelia winked. "I've got a wolf." She gestured to Tray, and the wolf insignia on his jacket. "And, hopefully, we've got a vamp to meet up with later."

Sookie's eyes bugged out of her head. She was still so naive in some ways. "Pam?"

Amelia just grinned and turned to check on her tables.

"Holy crow." Sookie shook her head and sat down on the barstool next to Eric. "A threesome? Did you know Pam was into that kind of thing?"

_Uh oh_. Eric's mind whirled. This line of questioning could be dangerous. "Um…yeah?"

Sookie took one look at his face and knew. She raised a hand. "I don't even want to know," she said.

_Good!_ Eric thought. But then there was a long, thoughtful silence.

"But how did…" Sookie blushed. "I mean, did you…?"

"Those days are behind me, Lover," Eric smirked at her. "I'm into parking lots now."

He placed a warm hand on Sookie's bare thigh, his fingers stroking the velvety skin. Damn, he kept forgetting to thank Sam for the waitress uniforms. These shorts were delectable.

As he slowly slid his hand up to cup the warmth between her legs, Eric leaned down to kiss the side of Sookie's neck. He whispered in her ear. "Speaking of parking lots, I think I saw a minivan parked outside. We could finish what we started last time."

His thumb expertly found the sensitive area under the seam of her shorts, and rubbed enticingly. Eric was rewarded with her swift intake of breath.

"I get a break in ten minutes," she moaned softly.

"You get off in ten minutes." Eric nibbled her earlobe. "And you leave work in five. I convinced Sam to let you go early."

Sookie turned her head and gave him a hard kiss. "I love you."

"I love you, too." He kissed her back. "Meet me outside."

Her eyes lit up, and she whirled to go to the back room.

Eric stood, finished the last two swallows of his beer, and laid a tip on the bar. He nodded and smiled his thanks at Sam, and turned toward the door.

Too bad Sookie wouldn't move in with him and Hadley until they were married. She had this idea that her grandmother wouldn't approve of them 'living in sin,' but he knew Gran wouldn't mind. She certainly didn't mind Sookie spending the night at his house when Hadley was away.

Eric was halfway to the door when he was jolted out of his reverie by the asshole walking in the door.

Fucking Bill Compton.

He hadn't seen Bill since Hadley broke her arm, but he had been looking forward to the day. He stood his ground, right in Bill's path. Eric had definitely switched from lover mode to fighter mode.

"Compton," Eric glared down at Bill, daring him to make a move. Although he could, once again, see the fear in the smaller man's eyes, this time he would not back down.

"I don't want trouble with you," Bill ground out, hands in front of him.

"If that were true," Eric's eyebrow arched, "you would have left my woman alone."

But the idiot just did not know when to quit. "Sookie is mine," Bill insisted.

The claim, even to Eric's outraged ears, sounded weak and uncertain, and made Eric growl. "Not in a thousand lifetimes. And definitely, not in yours."

Ignoring any self-preservation instincts he might possess, Bill finally snapped. "Fine, you might have the uppity bitch now. But you'll always know that I had her first." He smiled up at Eric, thinking he had won. "I gave her pleasure _first_."

Suddenly, Bill's face snapped back, the punch landing almost quicker than Eric could see it, and Bill fell to the floor.

Eric looked down, confused. He didn't hit Bill. Who hit Bill?

He turned to his side to see Sookie standing there, shaking out her bruised fist and snarling at a stunned Bill, lying on the floor. "Nothing you _ever_ did gave me more pleasure than that punch."

Eric's mouth dropped open.

"Compton!" Sam's voice rang in the silence of the bar, as he approached the trio. "You're banned. Get the fuck out."

"But…she hit me…and I…" Bill sputtered, dabbing at the blood trickling out of his lip and scrambling to his feet.

"Don't care," Sam shook his head, and grabbed Bill by the arm to haul him out of the bar. Sam was much strong than he appeared. "My staff and I have had enough of your abuse. Don't show your face here again."

Sam shoved Bill out of the front door, and then turned to face the crowd now watching the spectacle. "Fucking Bill Compton," he muttered under his breath, and then approached Sookie.

"I'll get you some ice for that hand, chere," he said, smiling at her. He gave her a hug, and then went back behind the bar.

Eric was still staring at Sookie.

"What?" she looked at him, sheepishly.

He was abashed. He knew his woman was a fighter - she had certainly kicked his ass back into line - but he had no idea she could throw a punch like that. It was…arousing.

Eric picked up her slightly swollen hand and gently, sweetly, kissed each bruised knuckle, allowing his lips to linger seductively. "Have I told you how much I adore you?" he whispered, triggering a spark of lust in her eyes.

"Yes," she whispered back, her own lips parting slightly.

"Then, allow me to _show_ you," Eric's smile was primitive and feral, as he stared down at her. "Now."

"Yes," she breathed in response, and they walked toward the door.

Eric vaguely heard people clapping, and Amelia's voice shout, "Way to go Sookie!" But he was back in lover mode, and nothing else mattered but the amazing woman at his side.

"Sookie, I want you to promise me something."

"Anything." God, she made him hard with just that one word.

"When you get a teaching job, make sure your school doesn't have a policy against public displays of affection."

She nodded vigorously. "Oh, absolutely."

He ushered her through the door, sliding his hand down to caress her ass. "Lover," he gestured toward the parking lot. "Your paradise awaits."

"I already found my paradise," Sookie looked up at him, a twinkle in her eye. And then she ghosted her hand across the front of his already straining jeans. "You owe me, you know."

Eric raised one eyebrow. "Do I?" He loved it when his woman was playful. "For what?"

"Babysitting," Sookie cocked an eyebrow back at him. "You never paid me for that first night."

Eric's mouth dropped. He had totally forgotten.

"And now you owe me. Plus interest. Or I don't think I can sit for you again."

Eric suppressed a smile. "Would you take a check?"

"No way, Mr. Northman," she replied, saucily. "You're going to have to do better than that."

"How about in trade?" Eric led Sookie to a dark corner of the parking lot, behind the minivan he had spotted earlier.

"What do you have to offer?" she asked him, pressing her breasts against his chest, causing him to groan.

Eric grabbed Sookie's ass, and ground his erection into her. "How about that? Is that enough?"

"Hmm, well," she kissed him lingeringly. "That _is_ a gracious plenty."

"Does that mean you'll sit for me again?" Eric grinned against her lips as he felt her hands ease his zipper down.

"With this kind of payment, I'd be a fool to say no." She moaned against his mouth as his hands roamed her body.

"And you're anything but a fool, lover."

"Damn straight," her hands fisted in his hair. "So, when do you need me?"

Eric kissed her deeply, pouring all the love he had for her into it. "Now. Tomorrow. Forever."

"Deal. Now, pay up Mr. Northman."

"Gladly," he growled. After all, who was he to argue with the babysitter?

**

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****A/N - And so we say farewell. Thank you so much for reading. This story has opened doors for me in fan fiction world, and I've loved the chance to connect with you. You are all amazing!**

**Thanks Courtney and DeeDeeINFJ for being awesome betas! And thank you every single person who reviewed. Your encouragement meant so much to me.**

**Now, for something new. I have a dirty little idea brewing in the back of my mind, and we'll see if I can make it come to light. Check out my new story "Out of Control". **


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